A Review of Islamic Republic of Iran's National Security Discourse

This paper aims to analyze and review two security discourse existing in Islamic Republic so far: formative trend and reasons for its formation in Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI). The first debate receiving its theoretical themes from political thought of Islam, constitution and perspective of decision makers is known as revolutionary debate which presents a supranational and nation-based interpretation of a wide and Mustazaf-oriented view regarding national security of IRI. Security policy supervises the policies dominated over the trends of decision making in areas related to national security. From this perspective, areas of domestic and international policy and military, information, economic, managerial and even cultural and social arenas make established connection with the category of security policy. Accordingly, phenomenon of security and security policy making in different domestic and foreign perspectives and achieving it has always been among the basic goals of those countries in political life. Following sources of power, structure of government, geographical status and geopolitical qualities and type of ideology, all countries have made attempts to formulate their security policy and use it to gain multi-lateral security. In this study, security is examined in the area of IRI security geography with two different trends (traditional and modern). In Iran, first, regarding political thought of Islam and constitution – based on nation-based and Dar al-Islamic thinking known as revolutionary debate – a supranational thinking of security formed. The attitude visualized theoretical structure and security decision makings of IRI for a decade is based on the necessity of Muslims unification, historical experiences and …. The imposed war (Iran-Iraq war), difficult economic status, geographical requirements, international threats of revolutionary debate and … lead to the rotation and return of security perspectives in the first approach toward the attitude of IRI's national realm. In this study, the period is introduced as national debate of IRI's security. In the end, results of two approaches are reviewed and reflected.