Decoding Iran’s Foreign Policy

Ross Harrison is Senior Fellow at the Middle East Institute in Washington, DC, USA and is on the faculty of the Department of Political Science in the University of Pittsburgh, USA. Previously he was Professor in the Practice of International Affairs at Georgetown University in Washington, D.C. His books include Strategic Thinking in 3D: A Guide for National Security, Foreign Policy and Business Professionals (2013). He co-edited with Paul Salem, From Chaos to Cooperation: Toward Regional Order in the Middle East (2017) and Escaping the Conflict Trap: Toward Ending Civil Wars in the Middle East (2023). He has written numerous articles on Middle East Affairs in Foreign Affairs, Foreign Policy, The National Interest, Parameters, and Orient.

An excellent portrait of the history and evolution of Iranian foreign policy. It is a realist account that demonstrates at each step how Iranian leaders responded to their environment, and how those actions served, or failed to serve, Iran’s national interests. It clearly delineates how Iran’s world view is shaped by its own history but also how it reacts to the circumstances of the moment. It outlines with great clarity Iran’s fundamental strategies, and considers how its strategic instincts may shape its response to future events. This is a book that calls out to be used in the classroom, since it presents a wealth of factual material without falling into the trap of bias and partisanship that taints so much of the contemporary literature on Iran.

• 1.Preface2.The Historical Present3.The Global View4.The Regional View5.The Self View6.Capability7.The Strategic View8.The Future9.Conclusion