Search

The article focuses on the issues related to the aggressiveness of the Iran's foreign policy. The policy has emerged after the September 11, 2003 terrorist attacks which caused a great concern in Washington and in European capitals and its neighbors. It focuses on the nuclear program that aims to produce nuclear weapons and on the attacks in the U.S., Great Britain, Saudi Arabia and other nearby countries who fear the Shia dominance and deeper sectarian violence in Iraq. The constraints of policy have suggested a number of positive and negative incentives that the U.S. officials can employ to influence the behavior without increasing the need for deterrence or triggering retaliation.

The article presents an essay on the rise of Shia Islam in the Persian Gulf Region. It explores on the three interwoven developments that made the Shia prominent including the strengthening of Iran's geopolitical position, the countries where major parts of the population are followers of Shiat Ali, the decline of the U.S. power in Iraq and the success of Iran to halt its nuclear program. It discusses the four political factors that constrain the Shia crescent including domestic and international politics, nationalism and economics. It elaborates the rejection by the Iraqis of the rule of jurisprudence and the differences emanating from the complicated structure of the marjaiyyat that undermines the spread of Shia culture supporting the Iranian dominance.