REVISITING THE REUTER CONCESSION FROM GEOPOLITICAL PERSPECTIVES

Year 2024, Volume: 9 Issue: 18, 1 - 16, 21.08.2024

István Dávid Vácz

Abstract

The Reuter Concession of 1872 marked the beginning of a new chapter in Iran’s history. It was the beginning of the concession-hunting period and the first time when the economic sphere was comprehensively affected by British-Russian rivalry. The research aimed to analyze the Reuter Concession from a geopolitical perspective. The study sought to examine the geopolitical perceptions and reasoning of the Iranian creators, Mirza Hosein Khan and Malkam Khan. Malkam Khan’s main objective with the contract was to engage British interests, thereby guaranteeing the territorial integrity of Persia and advancing the modernization agenda. The study argues that the circumstances surrounding the withdrawal of the concession revealed the power structure and framework within which Iranian geopolitics had to operate. The other main aim of the research was to analyze the reactions and reasonings of British geopolitics and the impact of the concession on it. Although the Foreign Office did not support the Reuter Concession, it was seen as crucial by British India and Iran-based actors and kept it alive. The strategy of the latter group proved to be extremely useful in later decades, as they were able to rely on it to create and deepen British economic positions and counter Russian influence. The concession also had an impact on British geopolitical traditions and thinking.

Keywords

Reuter Concession, Geopolitics, Multilateralism, Malkam Khan

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