Foreign policy is
the combination and the reflection of a country’s domestic condition which
fluenced by the regional or international condition. The end of The Cold War
have been arisen The United States as “The Sole Super Power”. Beside that, the
9-11 (11th of September) 2001 had bring a great effect on the
revolution turn on foreign policy of The United States, especially on the
revolutional turn on the essence of The United States role as ‘the police
agent’ for the countries in the Middle East and the Northern Africa and for the
countries all over the world.
In the Middle
East, foreign policy of The United States related to it’s global politics. More
than 3 decade, when the uni Soviet still became a greatest rival for the United
States, the strategic interest of that country in the Middle East is only for
the preventif action to dame up the Uni Soviet domination. But after the fall
out of the Uni Soviet, the interest of the United States is for defending it’s
hegemony in the Middle East and keep the existence of it’s global strategies
which need more backing from the countries in the middle East.
About the
foreign policy of the United States to the Islamic Republic of Iran, the
historical fact shown that the relations between the United States and the Islamic
Republic of Iran was begin by the very close diplomatic relation. The official
relation between them was begin in the end of 1800 when King Nasser al Din Shah
sent his ambassador to Washington. Since that time until the World War II, the
relations between them is really fine.
The relations
between them become worse when Shah Reza Muhammad Pahlevi regime fallen out and
then the Iranian Revolution born which led by Imam Khomeini. And then The
Islamic Republic of Iran exist as a sovereign state. After all that time, Iran
became a state which gaze directly to the United State.
The strained
situation of Iran-the United State relation was reach a crest when George W.
Bush elected to be the President of the United State. Bush expelled Iran from
international community and called Iran as “devil axis” with North Korea and
Irak (when Irak led by Saddam Hussein).
When Barrack Obama elected as a new
President of the United States (take the place of George W. Bush), he gave a
new direction to the foreign policy of the United States. He gave a good signal
for changing the foreign policy of the United States in the Middle East and
Northern Africa.
But
in reality, the foreign policy in Obama’s era is difficult to realize. The
harmony in Iran-the United States relation is difficult to reach again because
Iran becoming insistent for improving it’s nuclear program. If the United State
still believe that Iranian nuclear program is brought to the non-peacefull aim,
it will be impossible for them to make a good relation as before.
Based on the argument that I said
before, I’m trying to identify the foreign policy of the United States to the
islamic Republic of Iran after Barrack Obama elected as the United States
President. Of course, I also identify how was the condition of their relations
and the policies which have done by both countries.
Why the foreign policy of the United States to the
Islamic Republic of Iran never change in Obama’s era ?
In this working paper, I use this theory and concept as my
base to identify the problem. They are :
The
foreign policy of a country adopted based on the national interest of it’s
country. The national interest mostly used as a tool to analize something to
know the aim of the foreign policy of a country.
More than 3 decade, when the uni Soviet still became a
greatest rival for the United States, the strategic interest of that country in
the Middle East is only for the preventif action to dame up the Uni Soviet
domination. But after the fall out of the Uni Soviet, the interest of the
United States is for defending it’s hegemony in the Middle East and keep the
existence of it’s global strategies which need more backing from the countries
in the middle East.
Foreign
policy is a combination from the authoritative policy of a country to the
external circumstances, which fluenced and formed by many internal factors and
many external factors which interacted each other. Foreign policy of a country
drew an action of it’s country for any special condition, time and place which
fluenced by domestic condition or international condition.
In
this working papaer, I try to analyze the construction of foreign policy of the
United States in Obama’s era to the Islamic world citizen, especially to the
Islamic Republic of Iran, in the shadow of interest
power and pressure group such as
AIPAC (American-Israel Public Affairs Committee) who mostly gave a simplistic view to the dynamics of politic in
Islamic states.
The official
relation between the United States and Iran was begin in the end of 1800 when
King Nasser al Din Shah sent his ambassador to Washington. In 1911, the United
States sent Morgan Shuster, an American commerce banker, and Arthur Chester
Millspaugh, an economic advisor, to Iran for improving the financial condition
of Iranian Kingdom. Suster and Millspaugh was succesfully do their job. The
economic condition of Iran has grown rapidly, and then Iran begin to make a
trade relations with the Western.
Iran
positioning the United States as “the
third power” in Iran excertion on struggle for freedom from the domination
of Russia and England. The United States with the Shah Reza Muhammad Reza
Pahlevi regime have brought Iran to the brighter eonomic and financial
condition, which caused by the huge funding from the United States and the
pro-Israel policy of Shah Reza regime.
The fallen out
of Shah Reza regime become a bad momentum of Iran and the United States
relations. The Iranian think that the United States funding for improving the
economic condition of Iran, which also brought the capitalism and materialism,
as satanic temptation. The Iranian abhorence to the United States can not be
dame up because of the civilization.
The close
relations between them at the beginning was totally change since the
reclination of 50 diplomat from the United States in the United States Embassy
Building in Teheran on November 1979 by the militant group, pro-Khomeini
university students, and the Iranian armed group.
After that case, the United States takes the policy for isolating Iran from
international circumstances. On World Jewish Conference on 30th of
April 1995, President Bill Clinton said that he decided to cut all acquintance
of the United States on trade and investment with Iran.
On 1979, the
relations between Iran and the United States after Iranian revolution become
worse. This is because of the born of Iranian Revolution which led by Imam
Khomeini and the declaration of independence of The Islamic Republic of Iran.
The strained
situation of Iran-the United State relations was reach a crest when George W.
Bush elected to be the President of the United State. Bush expelled Iran from
international circumstances and called Iran as “devil axis” with North Korea
and Irak (when Irak led by Saddam Hussein). After all that time, Iran became a
state which gaze directly to the United States.
When Barrack
Obama elected to be the President of the United States, the relations between
Iran and the United States still unclear. Personally, Obama really wanted to
improve the relations between Iran and the United States. But
in reality, the foreign policy towards Iran in Obama’s era is difficult to
realize. The harmony in Iran-the United States relation is difficult to reach
again because Iran becoming insistent for improving it’s nuclear program. If
the United State still believe that Iranian nuclear program is brought to the
non-peacefull aim, it will be impossible for them to make a good relation as
before. So, the development of Iran and the United States relations depends on
Obama’s foreign policy as the President of The United States.
When Barrack Obama elected as a new President of the United
States (take the place of George W. Bush), he gave a new direction to the
foreign policy of the United States. He tried to take a risk and opened a
peacefull communication with another states who think that the United States is
their enemy.
President Obama gave a good signal for changing the foreign
policy of the United States in the Middle East and Northern Africa countries.
It’s not only about the problems between Iran and the United States, but also
about the effect into the countries in the Middle East and the Northern Africa
region, such as Irak, Syria, Lebanon, Palestine, Iran and Afghanistan.
But in reality,
the foreign policy in Obama’s era is difficult to realize. The harmony in
Iran-the United States relation is difficult to reach again because Iran
becoming insistent for improving it’s nuclear program. If the United State
still believe that Iranian nuclear program is brought to the non-peacefull aim,
it will be impossible for them to make a good relation as before. The success
and the failure of the dialogue between Iran and the United States is really
influential for the situation in the Middle East and the Northern Africa
region. The effect of ‘the domino theory’ is really aplicable here in terms of
the relations between Iran and the United States.
The reconciliation
efforts on relations between Iran and the United States by President Obama was
doing by the horrifying steps. One of that is admitted the United States
involvement on the
coup d’etat in
1953 to fall out the Prime Minister Mohammad Mossadegh government.
“Di
tengah Perang Dingin, AS telah memainkan
peran dalam menggulingkan pemerintah Iran yang dipilih secara
demokratis”. That was the statement from President Obama in his speech to
the Moslem world in Cairo. That was the first time in the history of the
president of the United States in revealing the involvement of the United
States on that coup d’etat.
Ayatullah Khomeini as
Iranian leader gave a strong reaction to Obama’s speech in Cairo. Khomeini said
that even Obama speech for hundred times, it will be useless if no changes made
in the foreign policy of the United States. Khomeini think that Obama’s word
into Islam world will be useless if there is no changes made on Washington’s
policy itself.
Analyzing the
foreign policy of the United States in Obama’s era is also can be observed by
the political view of his party. The Democrat have no willing to use the
military power on it’s foreign policy. The concern of the domestic politic and
foreign politics of the United States is on Human Rights issues, democracy
issues, and the environment issues. The Democrat is concerned on the economic
development of the United States, social assurance, consistency of progressive
aplliance of tax, better health services, more concern about the equality in
education, and willingness to use the power of the state to reach the social
justice.
The
important thing to know is that the foreign policy of the United States will
have no drastic change from George W. Bush (Republican) to Barrack Obama (The
Democrat). This is because of the national interest of the United States. For
example : even in his speech, President Obama said that he promise to improve
the relations towards Islamic states in the world, but in reality the United
States still have a really big problem with Iran because the United States
rejected Iran’s nuclear program.
The most
influential reason of the United States to reject Iran’s nuclear program is
about the political reason. As I said before, the United States still defending
it’s national interest. The United States dont want any new power of the world
defeated him, moreover Islamic state such as Iran. So, even Obama promises that he would change
the United States foreign policy, there will be no changes made significantly
because he also want to defend the united States national interest.
The
United States still defending it’s national interest, especially for it’s
relations towards Iran. That aim is for keeping it’s hegemony in the world. The
United States dont want it’s hegemony is beaten by the new power in the world
such as Islamic states like Iran. Because of that, the foreign policy of the
United States towards the Islamic Republic of Iran which applied by President
Obama have no differences with the foreign policy in Bush era.
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