Deciphering Trump’s “Maximum Pressure” Policy
The Enduring Challenge of Containing Iran
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 6093341 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Hossein Aghaie Joobani (0000-0002-1035-684X, Dokuz Eylül University), Mohammadhossein Daheshvar (Dokuz Eylül University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2020 |
| Volume | 10 |
| Issue | 1 |
| Publication date | 2020-09-25 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | New Middle Eastern Studies (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 2051-0861 • E-ISSN: 2051-0861 |
| Publisher | University of Leicester (PUBLISHER • GB) |
| DOI | 10.29311/nmes.v10i1.3615 |
| OpenAlex | W3088184964 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 13 |
Since the advent of the 1979 Islamic Revolution, the US has pursued a policy of containment towards Iran. In a major shift from Obama’s policy of appeasement, the Trump administration has spearheaded the “Maximum Pressure” campaign in an effort to contain Iran and coerce it into changing its behaviour. Although the fate of Trump’s policy remains a puzzle, it is evident that the US administration’s decisions, i.e. the withdrawal from the JCPOA (Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action), re-imposition of nuclear-related sanctions and re-securitisation of Iran as well as Tehran’s counter-strategies to defy US pressures have exacerbated the enmity between Washington and Tehran. By applying the Regional Security Complex theory and linking it with George Kennan’s “containment strategy”, this article attempts to deconstruct the modus operandi of Trump administration towards Iran and scrutinise the various policy tools the US has employed to implement the maximum pressure doctrine. This research concludes that through exerting vast economic sanctions, maximizing diplomatic pressures and maintaining military deterrence, the Trump administration aims to create the conditions of possibility for regime collapse in the event that Iran refuses to change its behaviour. The article uses an analytical-explanative method and seeks to contribute to the existing academic and policy-oriented research regarding US-Iran relations via employing a hybrid theoretical lens
Appeasement · Deterrence theory · Diplomacy · Doctrine · Foreign policy · Law and economics · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Sanctions · Sociology · Economic Sanctions and International Relations · Law · Middle East and Rwanda Conflicts · Public Administration · Security, Politics, and Digital Transformation
A New Regional Cold War in the Middle East and North Africa
Security, Identity and Interests
Security
The US policy of containing Iran – from Obama to Trump 2009–2018
Geopolitical shifts
From Regional System to Regional Society
U.S. foreign policy and the future of democracy in Iran
Sanctions against Iran
Should We Stay or Should We Go? The United States and the Middle East
Strategic Geography and the Changing Middle East
Turkey’s Volte-Face Politics
Regional powers and security
Great Britain, China and the Status of Tibet, 1914-21
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |