| The complex dynamics between the three sets of bilateral relations (United States-Israel-Iran) raises the question whether they should be analyzed separately or as part of a larger framework, namely, tripartite relations. This is a critical question considering the significance of their impact on regional and international affairs. Therefore, the question is to what an extent does one set of bilateral relations influence the other set of bilateral relations, i.e., to what an extent does the U.S.-Israel alliance influence the U.S.-Iran and Israel-Iran bilateral relations or vice versa. This is the problematic of the research that this study hopes to address. It focuses on the trilateral U.S.-Israel-Iran relations since 1979 in order to determine the relationship among the three bilateral relations and the tripartite relations.; The study examines the issues and the actors involved in the U.S.-Israel-Iran tripartite relations and the dynamic of these relations from the 1979 revolution up to the beginning of the second term of presidency of Mohammad Khatami in August 2001. It encompasses many of the changes and challenges that the Islamic regime has dealt with since its inception. The study attempts to show how external constraints, internal threats and urgent needs force an 'idealist' state to adopt a realist approach, even if that means acting contrary to its declared principles and operating a secret alliance in the shadow of apparent official hostility. This study also explores how the behavior of Islamic Iran had an effect on both American and Israeli foreign policy, underlining the relationship between the domestic and international factors.; This study theoretically conceptualizes and identifies causal variables that drive the multilateral behavior of states, and it attempts to test the explanatory scope of concepts of conflict and cooperation. The interaction between revolutionary states and the international society may contribute to the development of theories about the causes of change in international relations. Furthermore, this work hopes to contribute to the expansion of the explanatory scope of International Relations by moving the explanation outside the European and the American cases traditionally used by theorists. |
