Iran's Foreign Policy: Beyond Unity and Stability

The consequences of the religious revolution and, since the rise of the Islamic Republic, the two components of "ideology" and "pragmatism" have prevented the ruling political system in Iran from achieving a unified identity and consensus in its foreign policy definition. The recent guidelines from Mr. Ali Khamenei represent a renewed effort to achieve consensus in Iran's foreign policy. One of the most famous sayings of Ayatollah Khomeini, the founder of the Islamic Republic, was "unity of word," which he emphasized from time to time, hoping to bring together government officials and the people who felt lost between the two components of "nation" and "community." The current leader's guidelines, continuing 37 years of fruitless efforts, seem to lack scientific understanding in the realm of foreign relations, and for this reason, even if implemented, there will never be enough opportunity to compensate for past shortcomings. Defining foreign policy is aimed at managing the long-term relations of a country with the outside world and, in practice, is the art of achieving set goals in this area. The term gained scientific recognition from the 13th century, particularly with the development of foreign political representation (especially in European countries). Since the 18th century, diplomacy has established itself as the art of negotiation and exchange between political representatives of countries and organizations and as a means of solving independent and isolated problems and crises, alongside foreign policy. Foreign policy is generally formulated to address transient and variable events and issues outside the internal realm of an independent country, although it also pursues the long-term interests of the country. For this reason, a country's foreign policy is always subject to reform and change and is necessarily influenced by factors that affect its implementation. The foreign policy of any conventional country is influenced by "fixed factors" and "variable components." Fixed factors in formulating foreign policy include national boundaries, borders, culture, language, ethnic composition, and geographical position of a country. Variable factors affecting a country's foreign policy include external developments in neighboring regions, changes in government, entering or exiting treaties, victories or defeats in foreign wars, fluctuations in the economy, and many other transient components. For example, if Turkey's Justice and Development Party fails to achieve a parliamentary majority in the elections on Sunday, November 1, or if another party comes to power, Turkey's current foreign policy regarding Syria would be reconsidered and likely undergo structural changes. In the recently published guidelines from Mr. Ali Khamenei, it is stated: "The foreign policy of the country (Iran) is based on long-term interests and principles and values, and it does not change with the coming and going of governments with different political tastes; governments only influence and are involved in the tactics and executive initiatives of foreign policy strategies." The leader of the Islamic Republic claims that Iran's foreign policy is like that of all countries, while Iran has a revolutionary and unconventional regime, not similar to all other countries, and his efforts are to achieve a unified identity within the framework of the Islamic government, prioritizing the revolutionary nature over reformist tendencies. Mr. Khamenei emphasizes the steadfastness of foreign policy based on long-term interests and values, while, firstly, all authoritarian and revolutionary political systems are always subject to change, and secondly, due to the polarization of Iranians between "community" and "nation" since the rise of the Islamic government in Iran, Iran's national interests and the interests of the ruling regime cannot be placed on a single scale, and the long-term interests of the country cannot be aligned due to the duality of demands from regime supporters and opponents, and the expectations of the "community" and "nation." Mr. Khamenei claims that "foreign policy does not change with the coming and going of governments, and governments are executors of tactics." This statement can be confirmed only on the condition that the term "initiative and tactics" is understood as a fundamental change in the policy and behavior of the government in a specific area, which essentially reflects a change in foreign policy; as in the nuclear field, the Islamic Republic's policy and the issue of direct negotiations with the United States have undergone structural changes in the past two years! To substantiate his claims about the immutability of Iran's foreign policy with the coming and going of governments, which is fundamentally a claim contrary to political science and could also be seen as a result of unfamiliarity with the field of international relations and foreign affairs, Mr. Khamenei refers not to the "fixed factors" influencing foreign policy goals (national boundaries and independence, language, culture...) but to the constitution of the Islamic Republic, which, according to the most accepted definitions in political science education, falls under "variables," especially in conditions where an authoritarian government holds the lever of power. Contrary to the statements of the leader of the Islamic Republic, the realm of Iran's foreign policy has a clear duality in goals and behaviors. Alongside multiple other dualities that Iran suffers from today, including confusion between conventional democratic symbols (preserving the republic and parliament) while having a Supreme Leader, the Assembly of Experts, oscillation between implementing Sharia and Islamic laws and modern civil laws, chronic dizziness between national identity, nation, and community, indecision between state-controlled and free-market economies, and even duality in the realm of national defense, where all other political systems in the world, regardless of their nature, have reached unity, but in Iran, defense capabilities are divided between two parallel powers, the army and the Revolutionary Guard, the realm of Iran's foreign policy, contrary to the statements of the leader of the Islamic Republic, has a clear duality in goals and behaviors. Over the past 37 years, the foreign policy of the Islamic Republic, especially due to environmental changes, has always been subject to change. Changes in Iran's foreign policy regarding Iraq during the war, until 2003 and from 2007 to the present, symbolize these changes. The foreign policy of the Islamic Republic in the Muslim-majority Middle East and in relation to Israel is directly influenced by the aspirations and management of the ruling authority and the power of the military and conservatives, while the foreign policy of the Islamic Republic in relation to other countries is (more or less) pragmatic and within the realm of government management. The duality of the goals of foreign policy and the behaviors of the Islamic Republic in these two geographical areas, along with the changing degree of influence of the branches of power within the government (the era of reformist power and the post-reform era), and of course the causes and consequences of changes in governments, indicate the lack of unity and stability in the foreign policy of the Islamic Republic, and these fluctuations will remain inevitable and enduring until the identity and nature of the current Islamic government change.