The Metaphor of Bilevel Game: A Framework for the Analysis of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s Foreign Policy

The purpose of the present study is to review the application of the metaphor of bilevel game for the analysis of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s foreign policy. The metaphor of bilevel game is an attempt to remove artificial boundaries between national and international policy. The research relies on the hypothesis that with respect to the emphasis of this metaphor on simultaneous attention to different levels of national, regional, and international policy, there is more possibility to explain the effect of different variables on the Islamic Republic’s foreign policy. Research findings revealed that using some theories based on general equilibrium, that try to explore all the effective factors leading to a phenomenon, we can provide a better understanding of Iran’s foreign policy. However, it should be noted that this theory, like any other theories, is suitable to explain just some aspects of Iran’s foreign policy and does not have the potential and capability to analyze all its aspects.