Religion or Realpolitk: A Comparative Study of Iranian ForeignPolicy Towards Azerbaijan and Pakistan

Shi‘a Islam, as the central pillar of the Iranian system of governance has been a significant factor in molding Tehran’s attitudes towards states with significant Shi‘a population such as Iraq and Lebanon. However, examining Iranian foreign policy purely in sectarian terms risks losing sight of the multiple inputs involved in developing aforeign policy towards other states. This paper seeks to examine and compare Tehran’s relations with a secular Shi‘a majority state (Azerbaijan) and an Islamic republic in which a large minority Shi‘a population feels under threat (Pakistan) in order to understand the way in which Tehran’s religious identity vies with pragmatic realpolitik and associated economic considerations to shape bilateral relations. The reality is that Iran’s relations with these states are determined more by secular political considerations than by any notion of religious affinity. Sectarian considerations are a powerful tool only when there are policy convergences between states, or powerful actors within those states. This requirement doesn’t exist in the case of Azerbaijan or Pakistan, so bilateral relations are based on pragmatic rather than religious considerations. An examination of the complexity of Iran’s bilateral relations with these neighbor states provides an insight into the policy challenges facing Iran in reconciling its religious foundations with its regional political realities.

کلیدواژه ها:

Azerbaijan ، Pakistan ، Shi‘a ، secular ، realpolitik