The Impact of the Challenges of Political Development on the Orientation of Coalition and unification in the Foreign Policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran

Abstract

The objective of the present study is to review the impact of the challenges of political development on the process of coalition and unification in the foreign policy when there is lack of relative agreement among the elites and so the political parties are not institutionalized in society. The method of study is descriptive analysis and the structuration theory was used to show that the challenges of political development in the country not only damage the coalition of parties but also would lead to losing the international opportunities. Islamic Iran’s experience of having differing political orientations and lack of relative agreement among intellectual and political elites in giving a clear definition of national interests has led to the throwback to the past and as a result, a decline in the efficiency of foreign policy. In this regard, paying attention to upstream documents, the constitution, the 20-year perspective, developmental plans, red lines, boosting the culture of political participation, responsibility, institutionalization of parties, coordination among powers, transparency in the definition of national objectives and interests, on the one hand, and overall cognition to the environment, resources, regulations, and international norms and principles, on the other hand, can tremendously decrease the challenges of political development and hence increase the efficiency of Iran’s foreign policy.