Iranian Review of Foreign Affairs

Iranian Review of Foreign Affairs

A Comparative Analysis of Iran and the United States' State-Building Strategies in Post-Saddam Iraq

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
1 Associate Professor of Political Science, Ayatollah Boroujerdi University, Boroujerd, Iran
2 PhD in International Relations, University of Guilan, Rasht, Iran.
10.22034/irfa.2025.496251.1270
Abstract
The Middle East has been a region marked by profound transformations, consistently hindering the prospects for a sustainable peace that can symbolize the inclusive participation of various groups in power. Both the United States and Iran have shown a keen interest in this region, especially Iraq. Consequently, both countries have endeavored to establish influence in Iraq. Twenty years after the fall of Saddam Hussein, a suitable opportunity presents itself to evaluate state-building strategies in Iraq. Post-Saddam Iraq has been a stage for various actors involved in the state-building project. This article aims to conduct a comparative scientific evaluation of the strategies employed by Iran and the United States. The central question addressed in this study is how Iran and the United States have approached state-building in post-Saddam Iraq and what outcomes have ensued from their respective actions. Employing a descriptive-analytical methodology, the findings of this study reveal that the United States, disregarding the complexities of Iraqi society and leveraging military force, has pursued a top-down or waterfall approach to state-building, resulting in unforeseen consequences. In contrast, the Islamic Republic of Iran, with a thorough understanding of Iraqi society and strong ties to Shia groups, has successfully implemented a more effective bottom-up or base-diffusion model of state-building. Ultimately, the outcomes of Iran's and the United States' state-building efforts in Iraq are comparatively assessed.
Keywords

Subjects


Article Title Persian

مقایسه راهبردهای دولت سازی ایران و آمریکا در عراق پساصدام

Authors Persian

ناصر پورحسن 1
سعید آریا 2
1 دانشیار علوم سیاسی، دانشگاه آیت الله العظمی بروجردی، بروجرد، ایران
2 دکترای روابط بین‌الملل، دانشگاه گیلان، رشت، ایران.
Abstract Persian

خاورمیانه منطقه ای است که همواره در آن دگرگونی‌های عمیقی رخ داده است. در این راستا، مداوم چشم انداز صلح پایدار را که می تواند نماد مشارکت فراگیر گروه های مختلف در قدرت باشد، با موانعی روبرو بوده است. هم آمریکا و هم ایران علاقه شدیدی به این منطقه به ویژه عراق پساصدام داشته داده اند. در نتیجه، هر دو کشور برای ایجاد نفوذ در عراق تلاش کرده اند. بیست سال پس از سقوط صدام حسین، فرصت مناسبی برای ارزیابی راهبردهای دولت سازی در عراق فراهم شده است. عراق پس از صدام صحنه ای برای بازیگران مختلف درگیر در پروژه دولت سازی بوده است. هدف این مقاله ارزیابی علمی تطبیقی راهبرد های بکار گرفته شده توسط ایران و آمریکا در عراق پسا صدام است. سوال اصلی عبارتست از: ایران و آمریکا چه راهبردی هایی برای دولت سازی در عراق پسا صدام اتخاذ کرده اند و به و این راهبردها چه نتایجی برای آنها داشته است؟ یافته‌های این پژوهش با استفاده از روش توصیفی-تحلیلی نشان می‌دهد که آمریکا با بی‌توجهی به پیچیدگی‌های جامعه عراق و صرفا با بهره‌گیری از نیروی نظامی، رویکردی از بالا به پایین را برای دولت‌سازی در عراق دنبال کرده است که منجر به پیامدهای پیش‌بینی نشده‌ای شده است. در مقابل، جمهوری اسلامی ایران با درک کامل جامعه عراق و پیوندهای مستحکم با گروه های شیعه، الگوی مؤثرتری از پایین به بالا برای دولت سازی در عراق پسا صدام را با موفقیت اجرا کرده است. دراین مقاله نتایج تلاش‌های دولت‌سازی ایران و آمریکا در عراق مقایسه‌ شده است.

Keywords Persian

«عراق»
«دولت سازی از بالا به پایین»
«دولت سازی از پایین به بالا»
«ایران»
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  • Receive Date 26 April 2024
  • Revise Date 22 May 2025
  • Accept Date 23 June 2025