Iran's Foreign Policy during Ahmadinejad: From Confrontation to Accommodation

Abstract

Some scholars have observed that Iran's foreign policy has leaned toward assertiveness since Mahmood
Ahmadinejad came to power in 2005. They have tried to attribute this assertiveness to some internal and
external factors. After reviewing the literature, we argue that the assertiveness of Iran's foreign policy
during the first period of Ahmadinejad`s presidency is rooted in psychological (Ahmadinejad belief
system), social (the social base of the new government), political (factional rivalries), historical (ideals of
the Islamic Revolution), and external (the way Western countries treated Iran during Khatami) factors. On
the contrary, it seems that Iran's foreign policy since the recent presidential election in 2009 has somehow
softened and it appears to be less confrontational. This change, if real, may have significant implications
for Iran's relations with the Western countries, particularly the United States. We seek to identify the main
reasons for this change and explicate its main consequences for the Iranian foreign relations. This paper
has four sections. First, we discuss the main features of Iran's assertive foreign policy during the first
period of Ahmadinejad`s presidency. Secondly, we try to explain the main origins of this assertiveness.
Thirdly, the recent developments in Iran's foreign policy, especially Ahmadinejad`s new moderate
orientation, will be discussed and the main causes will be spelled out. Finally, the main implications of
this change in Iran's foreign behavior will be discussed.

Key words: Iran, Foreign Policy, Ahmadinejad, confrontation, accommodation

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