Iran’s Look to the East Policy in the Framework of Bounded Rationality Model

Abstract

The Look to the East policy is a foreign policy vision that aims to strengthen Iran's relations with Eastern countries in order to confront the West. The look to the East policy first entered the implementation phase during Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Era, when Iran was exposed to extensive sanctions and isolated from the international system. However, when Hassan Rouhani took office in 2013, within the scope of his constructive engagement with the West policy, balancing the West aspect of the policy of look to the East policy came to the fore. Implementation of harsh sanctions against Iran following Donald Trump's announcement that the US withdrawal from the Nuclear Deal in May 2018, as well as the tension in relations with the West towards the end of Rouhani's presidency, the direction of Iran's foreign policy once again turned to the East. Following Raisi’s inauguration, it was seen that the policy of look to the East, which was supported by the conservative front in Iran, came to the fore once again. However, the look to the East policy, as implemented by the Raisi government, is faced with various constraints and impasses. This article aims to analyze the Look to the East policy through the Bounded Rationality Model, which has a place among the foreign policy analysis models. In this context, this article intends to reveal that this policy is not an absolute rational choice, but a compulsory and limited choice formed by the foreign policy decision makers choosing the most appropriate one among the limited alternatives.