Donald Trump Foreign Policy in Syrian Crisis and its Threats and Opportunities for the Islamic Republic of Iran

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 PhD student, Politic Science, Science and Reserarch Branch, Islamic Azad University

2 Politic Science, Science and Reserarch Branch, Islamic Azad University

Abstract

Extended Abstract     
Introduction
Due to Syria crisis after 2011, the Middle East has been affected by the presence of large regional and global powers in this region. Meanwhile, the United States was the first metaphorical actor to enter this area. The US former President Barack Obama supported a pro-oppositions of the central government of Syria. US-backed forces were called the Free Army (al-Jaysh al-Suri al-Bakhr). Because this archeology depended on radical Islam, Washington had to revise its strategy. Since 2014, it was found a new policy of the United States, calling a strategic alliance with the Syrian Kurds and tolerance of the Russian-Iranian axis and the rule of Bashar al-Assad.With the election of Donald Trump as the US president, doubts were raised about the US security strategy toward the Middle East.
Methodology
Due to these interpretations and in response to the current research question, Donald Trump's foreign policy has been analyzed in the Middle East and ultimately, the US foreign policy approach and its impact on the national and regional security of Iran have been raised for the Iranian diplomacy system.
 
Analysis and conclusions
The central government of Syria appears to have taken power again, but the present Syria and post-crisis are not like Syria before 2011. Syria was the central axis of Middle East developments alongside Iran, Turkey and Saudi Arabia, but Syria was eliminated by the current transformations and it missed its power cycle in the Middle East. The Trump government is well aware of the erosion of the Syrian government, so it tries to shape the Middle East's security order in the upcoming Syrian regime by isolating Iran as well as using the Kurds that have emerged in Iraq as a new political force in the Middle East since 2003. It is believed that The Trump government is trying to do like the united Iraqi Kurds in Syria to protect the US interests in Syria. Along this, since 2011, Turkey, Iran and Russia have been three main actors in the developments in Syria. The United States is trying to increase its share of the country by creating a balance between Turkey and Syria, but not maximizing its benefits. In sum, Iran plays a major strategic role in the Middle East by pursuing smart diplomacy (a combination of soft and hard power) preventing the implementation of Donald Trump's foreign policy programs in the Middle East centered around the Syrian crisis. In this regard, Iran is in a position to bring Syrian Kurds to Damascus and maintain the Moscow, Tehran and Ankara circles, and reject the Astana Summit, and this is the most important strategy of Tehran that can be taken to counter the security threats of Tramp for the Syrian crisis.

Keywords


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