Medical Diplomacy and Iranian Foreign Policy

Abstract

Abstract Despite numerous studies of Iran in recent decades, the country’s concerted efforts to expand its medical diplomacy have been largely overlooked by experts and observers alike. This is despite the fact that the Islamic Republic has sought to employ medical diplomacy as a viable tool for expanding its soft power for a number of years. Over the course of the last two decades, in fact, Iranian authorities and health professionals have considered their medical advances to greatly add value to the country’s overall diplomatic profile. This article examines three basic questions: first, how has Iran used medical diplomacy to increase its regional influence in the Middle East? second, what are the factors that have contributed to the country’s success in this area? And, third, what are likely to be the regional consequences of Iran’s enhanced medical diplomacy in the future? The answers to these questions will present an overall picture of the current and future depth and voracity of Iran’s soft power.