Islam and foreign policy in the contemporary secular world: The case of post‐revolutionary Iran

Abstract

Abstract This article explains and discusses the relationship between Islam and foreign policy orientation in post‐1979 Iran. The emphasis is on the ways in which Islamic principles guide the formulation and implementation of Iran's foreign policy. The paper commences with a background to the Islamic revolution in Iran of 1978–79, identifying, in particular, the Islamic ideas adopted during the years immediately following the revolution and incorporated into the 1979 constitution. The article then specifically discusses first, the major tenets of political Islam and post‐revolutionary Iranian ideology; second, the ways in which these tenets have impacted upon the practical implementation of foreign policy in post‐1979 Iran; and third, what the Iranian case indicates about a relationship between Islam and foreign policy in the contemporary Middle East.