Regional Integration in Iran's Foreign Policy: A Look to Southwest Asia

Regionalism is widely considered as one of the requirements for integration in the process of globalization. This applies also to Southwest Asia, which, for a host of factors, still has to contend with a number of challenges at the level of regional integration. Historical problems in the relations between regional countries and the continuation of inter-state tension have slowed the process in the region. In fact, it can be argued that regional integration in this region is subject to three kinds of reaction: one, a passive and repellent reaction resulting from the increasing danger of globalization a la North; two, a passive and yet attractive reaction in the form of absorption into Southwest Asia; and three, a mobilizing reaction as a preventive measure in the struggling against the North. Each of these three categories of reaction has its proponents and opponents within the region. The present article intends to look into the implications of strategic choices in the region, and will also argue that the imposition of ideals on the social realities of others - allies, in this case – could transform ideals into nightmares.