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| Volume XII, Spring 2005, Number 1 |
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| EXCERPT: The View From Tehran |
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| Kamal Kharrazi |
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Dr. Kharrazi is the foreign minister of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
This article deals with Iran's
perspective on national security
within the context of its vested
interests and concerns. An attempt is made to identify the interplay of these interests and concerns with the issue of regional stability. I have also made an effort to identify the areas in which Iran's potential and capabilities can be utilized in the interest of regional as well as global peace and security.
NATIONAL SECURITY
Iran is blessed with vast territory and natural resources, a solid national identity, and a rich cultural heritage and tradition. It harbors no expansionist ambitions in the conduct of its foreign relations. As the history of the past two-and-a-half centuries in the region shows, no conflict or war has ever been initiated by Iran.
Political, economic, cultural and military factors shape the Islamic Republic's multifaceted approach toward the issue of national security. Geopolitical imperatives, together with national development plans, have fostered Iran's prosperity in various fields in an era of globalization, linking Iran's national security with regional and global stability. As Iran is a major supplier of the world's energy and has a unique position for the transit of goods and energy in the region, its national interests can be defined and articulated only in interaction with regional and global factors. Thus, any crisis or instability in a neighboring country has as immediate impact on Iran's security. Equally, any instability in Iran will naturally have grave consequences, not only for the region but also for global peace and security. This explains why Iran pursues a policy based on the expansion of good-neighborly relations, mutual respect and confidence building. Moreover, it shows why Iran on numerous occasions -- recently in trouble spots in Central Asia and the Caucasus -- has endeavored to act as a mediator and stabilizing force.
An illustration of this approach would be Iran's constructive policy with respect to the 1991 crisis in the Persian Gulf, which helped terminate Saddam Hussein's invasion of Kuwait. In addition, Iran played a pivotal role in assisting the Afghan resistance to replace the Taliban regime. Crisis and tension in the region are counterproductive to Iran's national interests. Thus Iran attempts to enhance its national security only through approaches that enhance integration, inclusion and constructive engagement, rather than isolation, exclusion and confrontation. At times, this approach has been costly for Iran, as, for example, in combating drug trafficking on its eastern borders, mainly from Afghanistan, a locus of terrorism and other transnational crimes. Apart from social and economic costs, Iran has lost more than 4,000 law-enforcement personnel in the war with drug traffickers in the last 25 years. Only last year, 48 Iranian officers were killed in more than 2,300 cases of gun battles with traffickers. Indeed, Iran continues to pay a heavy price in a struggle that all members of the global community should share.
A brief review of Iran's perspective on five salient issues -- Iraq, regional stability, reform and democracy, terrorism and weapons of mass destruction -- may shed light on the approach of the Islamic Republic toward national and regional security. |
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