ABSTRACT

Iran’s regional policy was subject to heated debates in the post-Arab Spring period both within Iran and beyond. Though welcomed by allies, Iran’s regional involvement was fiercely criticized by its rivals and foes and, as such, different theories emerged on its causes, aims and scope. There was less divergence, however, on the fact that Iran’s regional reach and influence are growing. Beyond this, the evolution of Iran’s strategic planning in the region and its causes were less discussed. This article aims at elaborating the rationale behind Iran’s strategic conduct and growing role in the post-2011 Middle East and argues that in order to preserve its regional position and resist trends threatening the ‘axis of resistance,’ Iran’s regional policy shifted from confronting the U.S.-backed regional order of pre-2011 to containing its rivals’ anti-status quo policies afterwards. This meaningful shift is bolstered by Iran’s international ‘balancing act,’ whereby it is balancing international powers against each other to fend off threats.

摘要

伊朗的区域政策在阿拉伯之春后时期在伊朗内部及其他地区都受到激烈的辩论。尽管受到盟国的欢迎，但伊朗的区域参与遭到其竞争对手和敌人的严厉批评，因此，在其成因，目标和范围上出现了不同的理论。但是，在伊朗的区域影响力和影响力不断增长的事实上，分歧较小。除此之外，对伊朗在该地区战略计划的演变及其原因的讨论也很少。本文旨在详细阐述伊朗战略行为和在2011年后中东地区发挥更大作用的背后原因，并指出，为了维护其区域地位并抵制威胁“抵抗轴心”的趋势，伊朗的区域政策已从与美国对抗 支持2011年前的地区秩序，以在其后遏制竞争对手的反现状政策。伊朗的国际“平衡法”为这一有意义的转变提供了支持，从而使国际力量相互制衡以抵御威胁。