The United States and Iran: Analyzing the Structural Impediments to a Rapprochement

نبذة عن كتاب The United States and Iran: Analyzing the Structural Impediments to a Rapprochement

The United States and Iran have been bitter enemies for two decades. Iran has accused the United States, among other things, of supporting the detested Shah’s regime, attempting to undermine the revolution and the Islamic republic, assisting Iraq in its war against Tehran, and of trying to isolate the Islamic republic from the rest of the international community. Likewise, the United States has charged Iran, among other things, with supporting terrorism against it and others, flaunting international law and norms in seizing its embassy, trying to undermine the Arab- Israeli peace process, and promoting anti-Americanism throughout the region. Nevertheless, there have been signs of a thaw in the hostile relations in the last few years. Iran has encouraged economic and cultural changes, reduced its use of terrorism, and lowered the volume of its anti-American rhetoric. In kind, the United States has lifted a few sanctions and has encouraged a dialogue. What are the prospects for a reconciliation between the United States and Iran?
Although the two states will probably continue to improve their relations, they are unlikely to become friends in the near future because of structural impediments. To use an analogy: the two are on the road to reconciliation, but they have yet to turn the corner. The good news is that the car will probably not turn around, although it could shift into reverse gear or move forward only at a slow pace.
In analyzing the difficult relations between two states, different structural factors, issues and decision makers may be regarded. All three are related to, and overlap with, one another. In this study, the structural factors are primarily examined, because they often provide the foundation for understanding the issues that divide two states and for understanding what elites believe and do.