No One Will Scratch My Back: Iranian Security Perceptions in Historical Context

Abstract

Iranians support a policy of deterrence because their perception of Iran's security is colored by historical experiences. For Iranians, geopolitical realities together with national psychology define national security. This article attempts to explain the national psychology, and in doing so point to a path of US-Iranian policy convergence. The United States should avoid making the mistake Britain made in 1951, making an oil royalty issue a matter of national pride for Iranians. The current nuclear dispute could turn into an object of Iranian national pride, liberty, and independence. The question whether a nation without access to a nuclear fuel cycle could be anything other than a dependent consumer, has already been posed.

‘I have two homelands’: constructing and managing Iranian Jewish and Persian Israeli identities

“…The two identities may be perceived as irreconcilable and inherently antagonistic in view of the threat representations that underpin contemporary Israeli-Iranian relations -in Israel, Iran is represented as attempting to build a nuclear bomb to annihilate Israel, while in Iran, Israel is constructed as an anomaly in the "Muslim Middle East (Jaspal, 2014b;Klein, 2009). The siege mentality has been described in relation to Israeli society (Bar-Tal, 2000), but it is also observable in predominantly Shia Muslim Iran (Mokhtari, 2005). Individuals may perceive it as implausible for a "loyal" ingroup member to express an attachment to an "enemy state."…”

Countering Terrorism: Could Hezbollah and Hamas Show the Way?

“…Hezbollah's presence on Israel's border, on the other hand, has offered Iran a forward deterrence capability against potential Israeli air attacks. 14 16 Whatever its origins, Hezbollah is more than a terrorist organisation today. It is an effective political party with parliamentary representation (the parliamentary elections of June 2005 resulted in 72 seats for Hariri-Jumbalat alliance, 35 seats for Hezbollah and AMAL Shia alliance, and 21 seats for General Aoun and his allies) 17 and a social movement with scores of charities, medical facilities, schools, a seminary (Najaf College) and a popular television broadcasting station.…”

Citizens’ Perceptions of Security Issues: New and Old Actors in the National Security Framework

“…Moreover, from a methodological perspective, the importance of the national context in studying the perception of security threats has been demonstrated [73]. Most of the current knowledge derives from studies conducted in the US or the UK.…”