Iranian foreign policy towards Tajikistan and Afghanistan during the Ahmadinejad presidency: the rising Salience of Persian national identity

Abstract

Through the application of an identity based constructivist theoretical framework, this article argues that a gradual embrace of Persian conceptions of state identity by Iranian political elites and wider society has taken place over the last decade. The embrace of what this article terms ‘Persian identity’ has deeply affected how Iran externally ‘portrays itself’ and pursues its foreign policy interests. This has become increasingly apparent in the context of its trilateral relations with Tajikistan and Afghanistan during the Ahmadinejad presidency (2005-present). Increasingly Iran in this context has shifted its identity, interests and actions from that of an Islamic revolutionary ‘Other’, to a so-called Persian ‘Brother’ and a friendly, pragmatic and constructive political partner. Show more