Abstract
In its long and fascinating history, Iran has experienced being a great global power, a formidable regional power, and the battle ground for great power rivalries. In ancient times, its empires were formidable global powers that were engaged in competition with other global powers. After the advent of the Industrial Revolution in the second half of the eighteenth century, however, a vulnerable Iran became the Great Prize in the Great Game by the Great Powers. In what follows, I will discuss the nature and dynamics as well as the dire consequences of different approaches prerevolutionary Iran utilized in the past few centuries in its tumultuous dealings with great power to protect its interests, territorial integrity, and independence. This historical analysis provides a valuable window through which we can better understand the evolution of the mind-set of Iranian leaders, including those of the Islamic Republic of Iran.
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Notes
- 1.
Most of the information in this section is from Milani 1988a, b and Milani 2013. In 1935, the Persian government requested from all foreign governments to use Iran, instead of Persia, in their official correspondence. Iran is a cognate of Aryans or the land of Aryans. Persia is derived from the Greek word Persis, which refers to the Pars province. Both names refer to the same country. I have used Persia throughout the chapter to discuss events prior to 1935. See Ehsan Yarshater, “Persia or Iran.” Iranian Studies XXII, 1989.
- 2.
Zoroastrianism, one of the first monotheistic religions, started by Persian Zorastra or Zarathustra (circa 650 B.C.). It has had huge impact on all Abrahamic religions. Such notions as the messiah, hell, heaven, and evil are said to have come from Zoroastrianism.
- 3.
For a brief history of the Achaemenid Dynasty, see: https://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/achaemenid-dynasty.
- 4.
Some of the ideas in this section are or quoted from my “Iran’s Ambivalent World Role,” in Comparative Foreign Policy, edited by Steven W. Hook. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 2002, pp. 219–244; and from The Making of Iran’s Islamic Revolution. Boulder CO: Westview Press, 1988.
- 5.
For the most comprehensive analysis of Iranian foreign policy, see R.K. Ramazani, The Foreign Policy of Iran: A Developing Nation in World Affairs, 1500–1941. Charlottesville, University Press of Virginia, 1966.
- 6.
Upon returning to the United States, Shuster wrote a scathing criticism of the British and Russian intrigues in Persia. See W. Morgan Shuster, The Strangling of Persia (Mage Publishers, 1987). The book was originally published in 1912.
- 7.
For the biography and legacy of Mossadegh, see Christopher de Bellaigue. Patriot of Persia: Muhammad Mossadeqh and a Tragic Anglo-American Coup. HarperCollins, 2012.
- 8.
For the 1953 coup, see Mark Gasiorowski, and Byrne, M. eds. Mohammad Mossadegh and the 1953 Coup in Iran. Syracuse: Syracuse University Press, 2004; and Ervand Abrahamian. The Coup: 1953, the CIA and the Roots of the Modern U.S.-Iranian Relations. New York: The New Press, 2013.
- 9.
For the best biography of Mohammad Reza Shah, see Abbas Milani. The Shah. New York: Palgrave 2011.
- 10.
For a favorable analysis of the Pahlavi era, see George Lenczowski, ed. 1978. Iran under the Pahlavis. Stanford, CA: Hoover Institution Press.
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Milani, M. (2021). Pre-revolutionary Iran and Great Power Rivalry. In: Farhadi, A., Masys, A.J. (eds) The Great Power Competition Volume 1. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-64473-4_9
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