International Studies Journal
(Together with Fariba MirzayiNejad Owjani)
Abstract:
There are multiple definitions of rationality in foreign policy. This study employed John Rawls' theory in this regard, which can be summarized as “optimization of benefits and losses”, to analyze the discourse of rationality in the foreign policy of the moderation discourse, particularly regarding the JCPOA. It ultimately extracted the foundational principles of the approach of this discourse to strategic foreign issues.
This study primarily investigated the relationship between rationality, as defined by Rawls, and the discourse of moderation in Iranian foreign policy. The cost-benefit calculation within the framework of Rawls's theories represents one of the potential systems of rationality, which served as the primary theoretical framework in this study. This study employed the Fairclough-style discourse analysis method to analyze data on the JCPO and the foreign policy of the Iranian 11th and 12th governments, as well as its discursive background.
The results of extracting the principles of the foreign policy discourse of the Iranian 11th and 12th governments showed that the primary indicator of the moderation discourse in foreign policy was the concept of rationality, defined as a measurable enhancement of national interests within the specified rationality framework and in line with the theoretical foundations discussed.
