A Crisis of Confidence Revisited: Iran‐West Tensions and Mutual Demonization

Abstract

This article is a largely constructivist revisit to the crisis of confidence between Iran and the West. It strives to investigate the chief historical, cultural, ideological, and identity‐related, as well as geostrategic factors, involved in postrevolutionary Iran‐West relations, and how they have caused an almost solidified sense of fear, suspicion, and mistrust between the two. The contemporary major areas of conflict the study delineates are (a) the human rights issue, (b) Iran's nuclear program, (c) Iranian‐Israeli hostility, and (d) the U.S.‐led wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. The article concludes that the restoration of mutual confidence requires a structural overhaul of both sides' ideological attitudes and political practices toward each other.