Concept of Power and Foreign Policy Behavior: A Comparative Analysis of China and Iran

In the current international system, foreign policy is a subsystem of nation's internal structures. Thus, foreign policy is not considered as an independent variable. In the last three decades, foreign policy has evolved as an effective instrument to expand national wealth. This development has proved instrumental in both developed and developing countries. Power of nations is no longer measured in terms of territory they command but rather the capacity to produce wealth through, among others, increasing GDP and exports. In this respect, China represents an excellent example. Through reliance on rapid, sustained economic growth, creation of wealth, and exports, China has gained a prestigious international stature and is on its way to emerge as a pillar of the unfolding bipolar international system. Analysis of China’s foreign policy shows that it is well tuned with the requirements and needs of its domestic structure and economy. In comparison, Iran's foreign policy over the last three decades has succeeded in safeguarding the territorial integrity of the country and the nature and essence of the polity. However, it has not been able to move into the higher realm of producing power capacity. Iran's foreign policy has been overwhelmingly dominated by national security concerns and issues. Compared to China, Iran has failed to benefit from utilizing global technology, capital and commodity markets.