Iran is trying to redefine its engagement in Central Asia and the South Caucasus against the backdrop of recent geopolitical developments. This article revisits its policies in the same region in a similar period of dramatic changes – the immediate aftermath of the Soviet collapse. It explains how Iranian visions of regionalism influenced its foreign policy in its newly emerged northern neighbourhood. The article shows how Iran tried to be recognized as a regional actor that could offer more than being anti-Western. At the same time, it put forward a vision of an independent region that was primarily articulated in the context of resisting Western presence. The analysis uses the cases of the Economic Cooperation Organization and the Caspian Sea to demonstrate how Iran oscillated between these two positions. Its proactiveness in regional affairs was undermined since it could not convey a clear and consistent message.
Alen Shadunts (Thu,) studied this question.