| Publication |
2014.
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| Summary/Abstract |
This article attempts to deepen our understanding of how state ideology, as a component of strategic culture, influences the manner in which states approach the use of violence. In that context, it examines the influence of Shiite Islam on the way that post-revolutionary Iran has employed force in its own defence. It argues that the influence of religion on Iranian strategic culture has been extensive. Islam has largely shaped the regime's perceptions of international relations, as well as how Iran should relate to the outside world. It has resulted in a highly revisionist foreign policy which attempts to remake the world in its own image. This orientation has left Iran internationally isolated and driven it to rely as far as possible on its own resources for its defence. It has also inclined Iran to forge closer relations with Islamic movements in the Middle East to compensate for the lack of allies among states. Islam has also prompted the regime to adopt deterrence by denial as the cornerstone of its military strategy. This military strategy renounces the use of force for material gain and condones it only when employed for the defence of the homeland and the wider Muslim community. However, it is still willing to strike pre-emptively if need be and take the fight to the enemy should Iran be attacked. Islam has also led Iran to emphasize faith and fighting spirit, over numbers and technology as the determining factors in war because it perceives victory as a divine gift bestowed on those who fight for Allah.
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