Iran's Nuclear Hedge: The Development of the Iranian Nuclear Program and Why it Keeps the Nuclear Option On The Table

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Abstract/Contents

Abstract: Since its genesis in 1957, the Iranian nuclear program has been the subject of worldwide attention. Two successive Iranian regimes, Mohammad Reza Shah Pahlavi’s authoritarian monarchy (1941-1979) and the Islamic Republic of Iran (1979-present), have maintained the argument that, as a signatory of the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty, Iran has a right to a civilian nuclear program. Evidence suggests, however, that both regimes maintained a nuclear hedging strategy in an attempt to keep the nuclear weapons option open. Iran’s reluctance to cooperate with the International Atomic Energy Agency resulted in international sanctions that have been severely detrimental to both its economy and political standing in the world. This thesis aims to explain why these two regimes sought, and arguably still seek, the nuclear option. In addition to the security model and the domestic politics model, this study will introduce the strategic culture model as a new framework to apply in the Iranian case. For the purpose of this analysis, strategic culture is defined as the set of shared beliefs, assumptions, and narratives that shape the strategic decision-making process of a state. This thesis identifies three key elements of Iranian strategic culture that influence its drive for nuclear technology and a nuclear hedge strategy. These three elements include: [1] Iranian nationalism; [2] a ubiquitous sense of vulnerability; and [3] a love/hate relationship with modernity.

Type of resource	text
Date created	May 2014

Author	Ansari, Yassamin
Advisor	Milani, Abbas

Subject	Iran
Subject	Iranian nuclear program
Subject	Iranian foreign policy
Subject	US-Iran relations
Subject	Nuclear Proliferation
Subject	Center for International Security and Cooperation
Genre	Thesis

Location	https://purl.stanford.edu/fj569py0340

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License: This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial 3.0 Unported license (CC BY-NC).

Preferred Citation: Ansari, Yassamin (2014). Iran's Nuclear Hedge: The Development of the Iranian Nuclear Program and Why it Keeps the Nuclear Option on the Table. Stanford University, California. http://purl.stanford.edu/fj569py0340.

Stanford University, Center for International Security and Cooperation, Interschool Honors Program in International Security Studies, Theses

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