Iran’s Look East Policy Under Ebrahim Raisi: Tracing the Rise of a Middle Power

Abstract

This article adopts a systemic-impact understanding of middle power as an analytical framework to provide a nuanced understanding of Look East Policy under the Raisi administration. It analyses three aspects of Raisi administration’s policy in the regional context of (Eur)Asia: (1) embrace of ‘Asian multilateralism’ (2) ideational strategy drawing on Iran’s identity as a civilizational State and a civilizational conception of Asia (3) projection of Iran as a ‘bridge’ connecting transcontinental connectivity initiatives by China, Russia and India. It concludes that Iran is driven by twin objectives of establishing itself as an independent regional power, while helping shape a post-Western, multilateral economic and security order in (Eur)Asia.

Keywords:

• Iran
• middle power
• Eurasia
• multilateralism
• look east

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

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Additional information

Notes on contributors

Deepika Saraswat

Deepika Saraswat is an Associate Fellow in the West Asia Centre at Manohar Parrikar Institute for Defence Studies and Analyses, New Delhi.