The Islamic Revolution Of Iran - 3396 Words

The 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran changed the geo-political landscape of the Middle East and ushered in more than three decades of hostility with the United States. In the aftermath, the leaders of the revolution proclaimed their intent to export their vision of political Islam to the rest of the region and help Iran take its rightful place as a regional hegemon. In 1979, the US was embroiled in the Cold War and in the minds of the American public, the Middle East was little more than a Cold War sideshow. For those who paid attention, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict was the dominant issue in the region. The overthrow of Mohammed Reza Shah, and the events that followed, forced Iran into the US national consciousness. A little known Shi’a†¦show more content†¦The regime’s parading of blindfolded hostages in front of news cameras had a visceral impact on the American public. Coupled with extreme anti-American rhetoric, the hostage crisis seared Iran into the Am erican psyche. The 444-day episode helped bring down an American president and completely changed the US perception of the Middle East. For thirty-seven years, US leaders have viewed Iran as one of America’s principal adversaries in the world. Throughout that period, US policy in the Middle East has either implicitly, or explicitly, aimed to isolate Iran in an attempt to either bring down the Islamic government, or at a minimum, moderate its behavior. However, this policy has not only failed, in many ways it has had the opposite effect. Iran has a xenophobia, deeply rooted in its history that has cultivated a resentment to even the appearance of foreign influence in its domestic affairs. US attempts to pressure Iran into moderating its behavior have largely served only to bolster the regime by solidifying its legitimacy in the eyes of many Iranians. The conservative hardline in Iran is rooted in a platform of resistance to western influence and the US, as the West’s standard-bearer, in particular. Confrontation and coercive diplomacy have only reinforced the internal Iranian narrative of the regime as n obly standing up to imperialist western powers. Iran’s often-extreme rhetoric is aimed at