Iran’s Foreign Policy After the Nuclear Agreement: Politics of Normalizers and Traditionalists (Middle East Today)

The book offers the first systematic account of Iran's foreign policy following the nuclear agreement (JCPOA) of July 14, 2015. The author evaluates in what ways the JCPOA, in conjunction with the dramatic changes taking shape in the international order, have affected Iran's foreign policy. Known as Normalizers, the moderate leadership under President Hassan Rouhani had planned to normalize Iran's foreign relations by curtailing terrorism and reintegrate Iran into the community of nations. Their hardline opponents, the Principalists, rejected the JCPOA as a tool of subjection to the West and insisted on exporting the Islamist revolution, a source of much destabilization and terror in the region and beyond. The project also analyzes the struggle between Normalizers and their hardline opponents with regards to global and regional issues and Iran's foreign policy towards global powers including the U.S., Russia, EU, and regional countries including Iraq, Syria, Israel, Saudi Arabia and Turkey. Farhad Rezaei is Senior Policy Analyst at the Center for Iranian Studies (IRAM), Ankara, Turkey “The book offers the first systematic account of Iran’s foreign policy following the nuclear agreement (JCPOA) of July 14, 2015. The author evaluates in what ways the JCPOA, in conjunction with the dramatic changes taking shape in the international order, have affected Iran’s foreign policy. Known as Normalizers, the moderate leadership under President Hassan Rouhani had planned to normalize Iran’s foreign relations by curtailing terrorism and reintegrate Iran into the community of nations. Their hardline opponents, the Principalists, rejected the JCPOA as a tool of subjection to the West and insisted on exporting the Islamist revolution, a source of much destabilization and terror in the region and beyond. The project also analyzes the struggle between Normalizers and their hardline opponents with regards to global and regional issues and Iran’s foreign policy towards global powers including the U.S., Russia, EU, and regional countries including Iraq, Syria, Israel, Saudi Arabia and Turkey.” (Publisher's description) Front Matter ....Pages i-xi The Negotiated Political Order and the Making of Iran’s Foreign Policy (Farhad Rezaei)....Pages 1-20 Iran and the United States: The Rise and Fall of the Brief Détente (Farhad Rezaei)....Pages 21-50 Iran and Russia: Completing the Pivot to the East? (Farhad Rezaei)....Pages 51-81 Iran and the European Union: Challenges and Opportunities (Farhad Rezaei)....Pages 83-111 Iran and Iraq: The Lebanonization Project in the Balance (Farhad Rezaei)....Pages 113-140 Iran and Syria: Leveraging the Victory? (Farhad Rezaei)....Pages 141-162 Iran and Saudi Arabia: The Struggle for Regional Hegemony and Islamic Primacy (Farhad Rezaei)....Pages 163-187 Iran and Turkey: Frenemies for Ever? (Farhad Rezaei)....Pages 189-213 Iran and Israel: Taking on the “Zionist Enemy” (Farhad Rezaei)....Pages 215-242 Conclusions (Farhad Rezaei)....Pages 243-246 Back Matter ....Pages 247-255