Iran's Strategic Culture and Weapons of Mass Destruction. Implications for US Policy (Maxwell Paper, Number 26)

Abstract

Conflict will tend to characterize US policy toward Iran, in part, in proportion to the degree that US leaders fail to comprehend the Islamic republic's struggle to reconcile tensions between the faith and the economic, diplomatic, and military functions of state power.2 Similarly, coping with Iran's efforts to acquire nuclear, chemical, and biological weapons, coupled with the potential proliferation of those weapons to other "rogue" states and terrorist organizations, requires a sophisticated understanding of Iranian decision-making processes.3 The challenge to US policy makers will center on modifying the prevailing paradigm that emphasizes the irrationality of the Iranian government in favor of one based on understanding the synergies-and the conflicts-between the various segments of the Iranian polity that help to shape relations between the two states.

Open PDF

Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Apr 01, 2002
Accession Number
ADA403268

Entities

People

  • Anthony C. Cain

Organizations

  • Air War College

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Force
  • Ballistic Missiles
  • Chemical Warfare Agents
  • Chemical Weapons
  • Employment
  • Governments
  • Intermediate Range Ballistic Missiles
  • National Politics
  • National Security
  • Nuclear Weapons
  • Personnel Management
  • Terrorism
  • Terrorists
  • Test And Evaluation
  • United States
  • War Colleges
  • Weapons Of Mass Destruction

Fields of Study

  • Political science

Readers

  • Nuclear Non-Proliferation and International Security
  • Strategic Security Studies
  • Systems Analysis and Design