Much attention in the West has focused on Iran as a problem country. This book challenges the representations of Iran as a hostile regional power led by ideologues, and goes further by discussing how international relations are viewed from inside Iran itself, outlining the factors which underpin Iranian thinking on international relations and considering what role Iran, as a large and significant country in the Middle East, ought to play in a fairly constructed international system. The book is written by leading scholars and policy makers from inside, as well as from outside, Iran and includes academics with unparalleled access and insights into the world-views of the Iranian leadership. Subjects covered include: the rationale of Iran's Islamic constitution, including its electoral system, and the impact this has on international relations; Iran's view of the ideal international system, including the place therein of ethics, justice, and security; Iran's international interests, including energy needs; and relations with the West, including the clash between Iranian and Western views of the world order.

Notes on Contributors Abstracts Acknowledgements Introduction - Anoushiravan Ehteshami and Reza Molavi 1. Iran's Religious Fundaments and Principles in Interactions with International System - Ali Akbar Alikhani 2. Political Rationality of the Islamic Republic of Iran in Comparison with Contemporary Fundamentalism - Morteza Bahrani 3. The Islamic Republic of Iran and the Ideal International System - Dehghani Firooz-Abadi 4. Peace and Security in the International System: An Iranian Approach - Afshar Eftekhary 5. The Islamic Republic of Iran and the International System: Clash with the Domination Paradigm - Manouchehr Mohammadi 6. Transnational Culture and International Relations of Iran - Mohammad Javad Nateghpour 7. Two Different Faces of Iran-West Relations: Incompatibility of Official Levels with Everyday Life - Vahid Shalchi 8. Domestic Politics and Foreign Policy in Contemporary Iran - Anoushiravan Ehteshami 9. Foreign Policy as Social Construction - Hossein Salimi 10. Discourse and Violence: The Friend-Enemy Conjunction in Contemporary Iranian-American Relations - Arshin Adib-Moghaddam 11. Energy Security and Iran's Role in International Relations - Paul Rogers 12. The Impact of the Iran's Tenth Presidential Election on its Relations with the EU and Mediterranean States - Mahboubeh Sadeghinia 13. The 2009 Iranian Presidential Elections in Comparative Perspective - Luciano Zaccara 14. Concluding Thoughts - Nadir Gohari Select Bibliography