Iran vs. The World (Thesis)

Iran vs. The World: A Look at the Middle East’s New Regional Power

Abstract

In these pages I explain the phenomena of Iran becoming a dominant regional power in the Middle East. I use a three pronged approach to explain Iran’s new regional role: (1) an analysis of Iran’s capabilities and geostrategic location, (2) attaching Iran’s behavior with Neorealist theories, and (3) examining domestic commitment in Iran (which is the unique portion of my research). I then synthesize my argument by showing that Iran’s capabilities and geostrategic location place it as the dominant regional power in the Middle East, their behavior matches what theorists suggest a regional power should look like, and the Iranian people are committed to the regime, infusing it with the inherent strength needed to actually assume a role of dominance in the Middle East. In order to explain domestic commitment I have gathered election data and public opinion polls in Iran, combined with accounts from the literature to show that Iranians support and trust the government. Lastly, I ponder the implications of Iranian power, including the possibility of war, especially between Iran and Israel, or Iran and Arab states, and the threat of even greater escalation (regional or world-wide conflict).

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