7 - Africa (1985–2013)

Summary

Shifting the analytical lens beyond Iran, Chapter 7 “Africa (1985–2013)” traces the history and evolution of the IRI’s foreign policy and RJ’s developmental activities in sub-Saharan Africa between the 1980s and the 2000s. Contrary to common assumptions, the de-radicalization of the IRI’s foreign policy in Africa began not under the pragmatists in the early 1990s, but under the rightists or conservatives in the mid-1980s. This period marked the first time that the IRI instrumentalized development to advance its strategic interests in Africa – a policy that has continued despite the factionalization of the IRI’s political elite. The chapter is the first to investigate the history and activities of RJ in Africa. It posits that development has enabled the IRI to make significant inroads into the continent due to its sizeable agrarian economies, widespread rural poverty, and formidable developmental challenges.