Piercing the Curtain: Exploring U.S.-Iran Relations and Realism Through the Qasem Soleimani Assassination

Year 2024, , 17 - 28, 30.04.2024

Harun Abubakar Siddique

https://doi.org/10.37093/ijsi.1320601

Abstract

In the domain of global politics, the validation of realist theory would occur if a majority of states held substantial power. However, the current international system features states with varying degrees of capability, leading to divergent objectives. This divergence contradicts realist assertions, prompting a critical examination in this article. By practically evaluating the international system, the article recognizes the diverse capabilities and objectives of states influenced by dominant states, especially in the case of postcolonial states, often overlooked by realism. Utilizing defensive and offensive theories within classical (neo) realism, the article analyzes the Qasem Soleimani case to demonstrate the importance of diverse theoretical perspectives in broadening analysis. The case study underscores the ongoing relevance of realism in understanding the self-help and anarchic nature of the international system.

Keywords

Realism, Iran, U.S., Qasem Soleimani, State

Ethical Statement

The author declares that this article complies with ethical standards and rules.

Supporting Institution

No financial support was received from any person or institution for the study.

Thanks

Thanks to Prof. Dr. Kurşad Şeyhmus Turan for the idea of writing this article, and to Assoc. Prof. Dr. Burak Şakir Şeker as well as Assoc. Prof. Dr. Gökhan Tekir for the corrections and evaluations in first drafts. The article also benefited enormously from the evaluations and comments from the two anonymous reviewers.

References

• Abubakar Siddique, H. (2022). Understanding the US and China Rivalry through Modelski’s Model & Offensive Realism Theory (The Past, Present & Future). International Journal of Politics and Security, 4(3), 271-298. https://doi.org/10.53451/ijps.1094852
• Antunes, S., & Camisão, I. (2017). Realism. In S. McGlinchey, R. Walters & C. Scheinpflug (Eds.), International Relations Theory (pp. 15-21). E-International Relations Publishing.
• BBC. (2020, January 08). Qasem Soleimani: Trump says US killed ‘a monster’. https://www.bbc.com/news/world-middle-east-51027619
• Bing, G. (1968). Reap the whirlwind: An account of Kwame Nkrumah’s Ghana from 1950 to 1966. MacGibbon & Kee.
• Binkaya, A. B. (2020). Causes and effects of the assassination of Qasem Soleimani: A political perspective. The Copernicus Journal of Political Studies. 1(2020), 159-166. https://doi.org/10.12775/CJPS.2020.009
• Carr, E. H. (1946). Twenty years of crisis: 1919-1939: An introduction to the study of international relations. Macmillan.
• Cox, R. W. (1981). Social forces, states and world orders: Beyond international relations theory. Millennium, 10(2), 126-155. https://doi.org/10.1177/03058298810100020501
• Dareini, A. A. (2020, February 13). A Thick Cloud in the US-Iran Climate. Aljazeera Centre for Studies. https://studies.aljazeera.net/en/reports/thick-cloud-us-iran-climate
• Davenport, K. (2019, April). IAEA says Iran abiding by nuclear deal. Arms Control Association. https://www.armscontrol.org/act/2019-04/news/iaea-says-iran-abiding-nuclear-deal
• Donelly, J. (2005). Realism. In S. Burchill, A. Linklater, R. Devetak, J. Donnelly, M. Paterson, C. Reus-Smit & J. True (Eds.), Theories International Relations (3rd ed., pp. 29-54). Palgrave Macmillan.
• Gilpin, R. G. (1986) ‘The Richness of the Tradition of Political Realism’, In R. O. Keohane (Ed.), Neo-Realism and Its Critics (pp. 301-322). Columbia University Press.
• Gilsinan, K., & Giglio, M. (2020, January 03). The Soleimani Assassination Is America’s Most Consequential Strike This Century. The Atlantic. https://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2020/01/us-kills-top-iran-general-qassem-soleimani/604378
• Gordon, M. R. (2018, May 21). U.S. lays out demands for New Iran Deal. The Washington Journal. https://www.wsj.com/articles/mike-pompeo-lays-out-next-steps-on-iran-1526909126
• Hobbes, T. (1968). Leviathan. Penguin Books.
• Howard, R. E. (1986). Human rights in Commonwealth Africa. Rowman & Littlefield.
• Lebow, R. N. (2007). Classical Realism. In T. Dunne, S. Smith & M. Kurki (Eds.), International relation theories (pp. 59-75). Oxford University Press
• Machiavelli, N. (1981). The prince. Penguin Books.
• Mearsheimer, J. J. (1994). The false promise of international institutions. International Security, 19(3), 5–49. https://doi.org/10.2307/2539078
• Mearsheimer, J. J. (2007). Structural Realism. In T. Dunne, S. Smith & M. Kurki (Eds.), International relation theories (pp. 77-91). Oxford University Press.
• Mearsheimer, J. J. (2014). The tragedy of great power politics. WW Norton.
• Modelski, G. (1987). Long cycles in world politics. University of Washington Press.
• Morgenthau, H. J. (1948). Politics among nations: The struggle for power and peace. Alfred A. Knopf.
• Morgenthau, H. J. (1962). Politics in the Twentieth Century: The decline of democratic politics, Volume 1. University of Chicago Press.
• Morgenthau, H. J. (1970). Truth and power: Essays of a decade, 1960–70. Praeger.
• Murphy, C. (2020, January 03). Murphy: The administration must come to Congress to authorize any future military action against Iran. https://www.murphy.senate.gov/newsroom/press-releases/murphy-the-administration-must-come-to-congress-to-authorize-any-future-military-action-against-iran-
• Nye, J. S. (2004). Soft power: The means to success in world politics. Public Affairs.
• Spykman, N. J. (1942). America’s strategy in World Politics: The United States and the balance of power. Routledge.
• Thucydides. (1963). History of the Peloponnesian War (R. Warner, Trans.). Penguin Classics.
• Viotti, P. R., & Kauppi, M. V. (1993). International relations theory: Realism, pluralism, globalism. Macmillan.
• Waltz, K. N. (1979). Theories of international politics. Addison-Wesley Publishing Company
• Waltz, K. N. (1986). Reflections on Theory of International Politics: A Response to My Critics. In R. Keohane (Ed.), Neorealism and Its Critics (pp. 322-346). Columbia University Press.
• Waltz, K. N. (1991) Realist Thought and Neo-Realist Theory. In R. L. Rothstein (Eds.), The Evolution of Theory in International Relations: Essays in Honor of William T. R. Fox. University of South Carolina Press.
• Yahaya, J. U. (2020). Politics of Middle East and the killing of General Soleimani Qassem. African Scholar Journal of African Sustainable Development, 17(2), 61-86.