Publication details
Iran and the Bomb: US and Israeli Responses
| Authors | |
|---|---|
| Year of publication | 2012 |
| Type | Article in Periodical |
| MU Faculty or unit | |
| Citation | |
| Web | Atlantic Community |
| Field | Political sciences |
| Keywords | Iran, US, Israel, Nuclear weapons, Realism |
| Attached files | |
| Description | This paper considers the relationship between the United States, Israel and Iran through the lens of the realist paradigm on the security issue of Iran’s nuclear weapons program. The discussion draws on understandings of realism in order to develop a hypothesis that allows us to make predictions about the US-Israeli relationship, Iranian intentions, the actions of Israel and the US towards Iran, and to gain a better understanding of the realist paradigm. Drawing on the realist paradigm, the article concludes that US-Israeli actions toward Iran and their nuclear weapons program cannot be fully explained by classical or neo-realism or its variants. Rather than arguing that the US-Israeli relationship in this security issue is above and exempt from the traditional features of neo-realist thought, it can be suggested that the relationship exhibits a traditional approach. The primary finding of this study suggests that the actions of all three actors are still anchored in the realist realm and will continue to be inextricably bound to the concepts of power and security. |