7: The Dynamics of US–Iran Relations: Background, Evolution and Consequences

Author:
Restricted access
Rights and permissions Cite this chapter

Iran’s relations with the US have gone through ups and downs since 1945, and with the Revolution it went from being a friend and ally to an enemy. Indeed, it was not just the Iranian Revolution that reshaped the geopolitics of the region; the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan, which took place the same year, also radically altered the strategic equation.

The economic transition of Iran since the end of the Second World War has been remarkable, as it has moved from being on the margin of the global political economy to being an influential state in the world system (Halliday, 1979). A key to this transition has been the role of energy, involving both local and global actors, including states and international companies.

Iran holds a strategic location, with the world’s fourth- and second- largest reserves, respectively, of oil (after Venezuela, Saudi Arabia and Canada) and gas (after Russia), a population of over 85 million (three times larger than both Iraq and Saudi Arabia), a developed infrastructure and a relatively strong state and military force.

As energy became a vital resource for global capitalism, the Persian Gulf states, including Iran, were able, with their enormous income from oil, to embark on huge development projects. This involved these states becoming fully incorporated into global capitalism, with its single market. However, political power continues to be largely in the hands of archaic elites (Halliday, 2001). With the transformation of the region, endogenous elites have begun playing a greater political role, both domestically and within the region.

Content Metrics

May 2022 onwards Past Year Past 30 Days
Abstract Views 402 307 11
Full Text Views 5 0 0
PDF Downloads 2 0 0

Altmetrics