Document Type : Science - Research (Political Science)

Authors

• Mohammad Javad Zarif ¹
• Sayed Mahdi Sajadieh ²

¹ Professor of School of International Relations (SIR)

² M.A. in International law from School of International Relations (SIR)

Abstract

After the Iranian revolution in 1979, the fledgling government of the Islamic Republic intended to lay the foundation of its limitations based on Islamic teachings and this has necessitated a path which can provide for a compromise between Islamic teachings on the one hand, and the limitations imposed on the government including international relations, which are structured in the framework of foreign policy, on the other. The path needs to be effective in eliminating the interference which a foreign policy that accepts limitations faces in its interactions with the international system. This means that a foreign policy that observes limitations has two options. One is being passive and dissolved in the hegemonic discourse and obtaining a proper share. The second choice is entering the otherness-making process and initiating ascription of meaning and application of it taken from epistemology and special ontology. Response to this important issue triggered the consideration of a factor that is unique in concept but diverse in examples. In the Islamic Republic of Iran, expediency and expediently-oriented action advanced to the extent that, in many cases, it practically achieved a special place in the hegemonic discourse including foreign policy. On this ground, decision-makers about foreign policy benefitted from the hegemonic discourse of their own thought and intended to bring a particular meaning to different issues and it is clear that different understanding (diagnosis) results in different action (prescription). This is noticeable in diverse understanding and acts which are based on expediency.
This study is an attempt to delineate a comparative ground which defines the limitations of a framework that leads to discursive simulation of expediency (theoretical framework) in the Islamic Republic of Iran’s foreign policy. This is the one path that gives rise to a single voice of collective wisdom, which is the result of common understanding and single prescription (justified consensus). With the right understanding and application of this framework in foreign policy, we can achieve a single discourse which reflects a single voice. This voice is capable of including elements such as wisdom and esteem which are the basis for a satisfaction that is accomplished upon common understanding and justified consensus

Keywords

• Foreign policy
• expediency
• Discourse
• Islamic revolution
• Wisdom

Main Subjects

• political science
• political issues of Iran