Kayhan Barzegar | Islamic Azad University, Science and Research Branch (original) (raw)
Uploads
Papers by Kayhan Barzegar
Since the collapse of the Taliban regime in 2001, Iran has followed a two-pronged policy in Afgh... more Since the collapse of the Taliban regime in 2001, Iran has followed a two-pronged policy in Afghanistan: first, preserve stability and support the Afghan central government, and second, oppose the presence of foreign forces in the country. For Iran, Afghanistan is the focus point of its “Look to the East”
grand strategy—which primarily seeks increased energy and economic relations between Iran and eastern countries in the Asia region, especially India, China, and Japan, and is the axis of its goal to establish stability in Southern and Central Asia. That is why, for the past 13 years, Iran has supported so many state-building efforts in post-Taliban Afghanistan.
At the same time, Iran opposes the presence of foreign forces—especially U.S. forces—in Afghanistan, asserting that it is a pretext for spreading extremism in the country and the region at large. Moreover, Iran perceives the presence of U.S. forces as part of Washington’s strategy to strengthen its own
strategic position in Central and South Asia, as well as the Persian Gulf, at the expense of Iran’s national and security interests. Iran also believes that U.S. policies in Afghanistan will undermine Iran’s legitimate demands, including re-
establishing close political and economic ties between the Iranian and Afghan governments. Therefore, Iran criticizes the 2012 U.S.–Afghanistan Strategic Partnership Agreement (SPA), which provides the framework for U.S.-Afghan relations after the 2016 drawdown, maintaining that such an
agreement is against the traditional neutrality of Afghanistan in South and Central Asia, consequently sowing distrust in regional states’ relations.The environment under such an agreement would minimize Iran’s role in its political-security backyard.
The nuclear negotiations between Iran and EU3+3 have provided the grounds for establishing direct... more The nuclear negotiations between Iran and EU3+3 have provided the grounds for establishing direct talks between Iran and the United States, subsequently creating a positive prospect for solving the Iranian nuclear standoff after a decade of negotiations. The effect of economic sanctions and
political change in Iran have made it possible to bring an important foreign policy issue into domestic politics discourses. The fact that the nuclear negotiations put Iran in a position comparable to the other world powers strengthened a sense of movement towards a win-win situation among Iranian political forces. All of this created a relative political consensus among Iran’s ruling elites regarding the need to initiate direct talks with the
United States in order to solve the Iranian nuclear standoff. The nuclear programme is also linked with the regional equation, the result of which has been the emergence of a new kind pragmatism in the conduct of Iranian regional policy in hope of revising Iran’s place in US Middle East policy.
World Policy Journal, 2009
... Kayhan Barzegar © 2009 World Policy Institute 21 Page 2. ... British roadblocks to Reza Shah&... more ... Kayhan Barzegar © 2009 World Policy Institute 21 Page 2. ... British roadblocks to Reza Shah's national railroad project were followed by Western resistance to Mohammad Reza Pahlavi Shah's Isfahan steel manufacturing project, which led Iran to turn to the Sovi-...
Washington Quarterly, 2010
... It is this belief that led the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, to reply to Obama&... more ... It is this belief that led the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, to reply to Obama's Persian New Year greeting by stressing that a change in Iranian attitudes would be contingent on ''genuine'' and ''real'' changes in the US position vis-a`-vis Iran.1 Although the geopolitical ...
Bulletin of The Atomic Scientists, 2010
As the writers in this symposium illustrate, dealing with Iran’s nuclear program is one of the mo... more As the writers in this symposium illustrate, dealing with Iran’s nuclear program is one of the most important foreign policy issues of the day. Years of stalled talks, diplomatic dead-ends, and sanctions have made it difficult to see exactly where progress has been made and what efforts are worth pursuing. In this Global Forum, leading foreign policy experts weigh in
Since the collapse of the Taliban regime in 2001, Iran has followed a two-pronged policy in Afgh... more Since the collapse of the Taliban regime in 2001, Iran has followed a two-pronged policy in Afghanistan: first, preserve stability and support the Afghan central government, and second, oppose the presence of foreign forces in the country. For Iran, Afghanistan is the focus point of its “Look to the East”
grand strategy—which primarily seeks increased energy and economic relations between Iran and eastern countries in the Asia region, especially India, China, and Japan, and is the axis of its goal to establish stability in Southern and Central Asia. That is why, for the past 13 years, Iran has supported so many state-building efforts in post-Taliban Afghanistan.
At the same time, Iran opposes the presence of foreign forces—especially U.S. forces—in Afghanistan, asserting that it is a pretext for spreading extremism in the country and the region at large. Moreover, Iran perceives the presence of U.S. forces as part of Washington’s strategy to strengthen its own
strategic position in Central and South Asia, as well as the Persian Gulf, at the expense of Iran’s national and security interests. Iran also believes that U.S. policies in Afghanistan will undermine Iran’s legitimate demands, including re-
establishing close political and economic ties between the Iranian and Afghan governments. Therefore, Iran criticizes the 2012 U.S.–Afghanistan Strategic Partnership Agreement (SPA), which provides the framework for U.S.-Afghan relations after the 2016 drawdown, maintaining that such an
agreement is against the traditional neutrality of Afghanistan in South and Central Asia, consequently sowing distrust in regional states’ relations.The environment under such an agreement would minimize Iran’s role in its political-security backyard.
The nuclear negotiations between Iran and EU3+3 have provided the grounds for establishing direct... more The nuclear negotiations between Iran and EU3+3 have provided the grounds for establishing direct talks between Iran and the United States, subsequently creating a positive prospect for solving the Iranian nuclear standoff after a decade of negotiations. The effect of economic sanctions and
political change in Iran have made it possible to bring an important foreign policy issue into domestic politics discourses. The fact that the nuclear negotiations put Iran in a position comparable to the other world powers strengthened a sense of movement towards a win-win situation among Iranian political forces. All of this created a relative political consensus among Iran’s ruling elites regarding the need to initiate direct talks with the
United States in order to solve the Iranian nuclear standoff. The nuclear programme is also linked with the regional equation, the result of which has been the emergence of a new kind pragmatism in the conduct of Iranian regional policy in hope of revising Iran’s place in US Middle East policy.
World Policy Journal, 2009
... Kayhan Barzegar © 2009 World Policy Institute 21 Page 2. ... British roadblocks to Reza Shah&... more ... Kayhan Barzegar © 2009 World Policy Institute 21 Page 2. ... British roadblocks to Reza Shah's national railroad project were followed by Western resistance to Mohammad Reza Pahlavi Shah's Isfahan steel manufacturing project, which led Iran to turn to the Sovi-...
Washington Quarterly, 2010
... It is this belief that led the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, to reply to Obama&... more ... It is this belief that led the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, to reply to Obama's Persian New Year greeting by stressing that a change in Iranian attitudes would be contingent on ''genuine'' and ''real'' changes in the US position vis-a`-vis Iran.1 Although the geopolitical ...
Bulletin of The Atomic Scientists, 2010
As the writers in this symposium illustrate, dealing with Iran’s nuclear program is one of the mo... more As the writers in this symposium illustrate, dealing with Iran’s nuclear program is one of the most important foreign policy issues of the day. Years of stalled talks, diplomatic dead-ends, and sanctions have made it difficult to see exactly where progress has been made and what efforts are worth pursuing. In this Global Forum, leading foreign policy experts weigh in