Iran and the world of power politics: A search for security, 1945-1979.

This study attempts to identify and analyze the perceived needs and considerations which governed the evolution of Iran's security policies for the period 1945-1979. Purpose The study is primarily concerned with l) An analysis of the Post-WWII transformation of power relationships; the shifts in international politics; balance of power considerations as an historical process; and the formulation of Iranian perspectives with particular reference to that process; and 2) Balance of power as a policy in the Iranian search for security from 1945 to 1979. Approach The study utilizes the historical (diplomatic) methodology. Detailed narrative accounts in each of the (central) chapters describe Iran's efforts to accommodate balance of power and alliance considerations into its security needs and perceptions. Analytical evaluation further complement the narrative. The significance of the policies is explained and underlined by the applicatior of power politics. Findings The study concludes that Iran's search for security took extraordinary dimensions and drastically changed both in character and in essence. The subordination of balance of power and alliance considerations to Iran's conception of its needs is demonstrated by the balance achieved between Russia and the West. The transformation in Iran's regional and international foreign and security policies is underlined from basically an extension of its alliance policy (through CENTO) in the 1950's to an assertive one, independently tailored to its own needs and perception and conducted with a greater degree of freedom, backed up by powerful armed forces, in the 1970's. These new policies aimed at maintaining the status quo in the Persian Gulf while at the same time expanding Iranian influence within that framework. The study finds that Iran failed in that direction, embarked upon assuming a self-relianc posture and adopted counter-defensive measures. As a postscript to the study, the implications of the security policies of the self-styled Islamic Republic are examined and contrasted with. The study defines the aims of 1945-1979.policies as the quest for the national interest outside, and the 1979-1986 as the external projection of national moods and concerns. Furthermore, the study concludes that Iran's security has been, and continues to be, inexorably dependent upon the security of the Persian Gulf.