Discourse Analysis of the Foreign Policy of Ayatollah Khamenei (The Discourse of Interactionism against the Dominating System)

Assadi, Nasser

Discourse Analysis of the Foreign Policy of Ayatollah Khamenei (The Discourse of Interactionism against the Dominating System)

Document Type : Original Article

Author

Nasser Assadi

PhD in Political Science, Tehran University

Abstract

The foreign policy of each country displays its approaches and ideas towards the international system and relations. In the Islamic republic of Iran, the role of the leadership in foreign policy is special and paramount. This article tries to present his viewpoint to foreign policy in the framework of the discourse of "Interactionism against the Dominating System", an issue which has rarely been investigated independently so far. Therefore, the following question is raised: How the discourse of foreign policy of the Islamic Republic is shaped in the thought of Ayatollah Khamenei? (Question) From the writer’s viewpoint, this subject can be understood in the framework of the interactionism against the dominating system discourse which he has also mentioned in his speeches. (Hypothesis) Through analyzing the Supreme Leader’s speeches it can be proved that this discourse follows Imam Khomeini's approach and is based on interactionism against the dominating system. (Objective) The theoretical approach of this article is the critical discourse analysis theory as Ernesto Laclau, Chantal Mouffe and Norman Fairclough have represented. (Methodology) The results of this article are as follows: the solidarity of the foreign policy on the negative and positive bases, having an independent and anti-domination nature, and using the ideological-strategic tendency.

Keywords

Ayatollah Khamenei

Discourse

Foreign Policy

The Islamic Republic

Interactionism against the Dominating System

20.1001.1.23455705.1393.2.5.5.1

Alnahas, Ibrahim Mahmoud Yaseen (2007). Continuity and Change in the Revolutionary Iran Foreign Policy The Role of International and Domestic Political Factors in Shaping the Iranian Foreign Policy. Dissertation submitted to the Eberly College of Arts and Sciences at West Virginia University in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Political Science Department of Political Science. Morgantown: West Virginia.

Fairclough, Norman (2002). Language in New Capitalism. Discourse & Society 13(2).

Fontana, Benedetto (2008). Hegemony and Power in Gramsci, in Hegemony (Studies in Consensus and Coercion) Edited By: Richard Howson and Kylie Smith. New York and London: Routledge.

Green, Jerrold (2009). Understanding Iran. Santa Monica: the RAND Corporation.

Grevan, Kate (2002). Gramsci. Culture and Anthropology. London: Pluto press.

Laclau, Ernesto & Mouffe, Chantal (2001) Hegemony and Socialist Strategy. New york and London: Verso. Second Edition.

Majd, Hooman (2008). the Ayatollah Begs to Differ: The Paradox of Modern Iran.by Hooman Majd. Doubleday.

Marchart, Oliver (2007). Post-Foundational Political Thought. Edinburgh University Press Ltd.

Mouffe, Chantal (2000) the Democratic Paradox. VERSO. London. New York.

Murphy, John (2008). Modern World Leaders; Ali Khamenei. New York: infobas publishing. http://shodhganga.inflibnet.ac.in/handle/10603/2024\

Parameshwar Gaonkar, Dilip (2012). “the primacy of the political and the trope of the people in ernesto laclau's on populist reason”. Cultural Studies. 26.

Povinelli, Elizabeth A. (2012). “beyond the names of the people”. Cultural Studies. 26.

Rezaei, Hassan (2007). “The politics in post-revolution Iran: with special reference to Khatami's presidency”. Thesis Submitted to the University of Pune. Pune For the Award of Doctor of Philosophy In Political Science.

Rizvi, Alam (2012). ‘Velayat-e-Faqih (Supreme Leader) and Iranian Foreign Policy: An Historical Analysis, Strategic’ Analysis.Vol 36. No 1.

Sadjadpour, Karim (2010). “The Supreme Leader”, from the book: The Iran Primer: Power. Politics and U.S. Policy. edited by Robin Wright. US Institute of Peace Press.

Solingen, Etel (2012). Sanctions, Statecraft, and Nuclear Proliferation. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.