Full Description
This book explores how Iran has come to occupy a uniquely antagonized position in U.S. foreign policy by tracing the role of a dominant pro-Israel identification within American policymaking. It argues that hostility toward Iran is not simply the result of strategic calculations or historical grievances, but is deeply shaped by an internalized understanding of what it means to be "pro-Israel" in Washington—a stance increasingly tied to American political identity itself. Within this framework, identifying Iran as a threat becomes a central, often unquestioned, component of expressing political credibility and belonging.
By analyzing how this pro-Israel identification has been constructed, institutionalized, and linked to the portrayal of Iran as an existential adversary, the book reveals how U.S. policymakers are routinely confronted with a constrained policy field. The identification of Iran as a threat is not merely encouraged but expected, with alternative approaches often framed as incompatible with American or pro-Israel commitments. The result is a binary logic: to support Israel is to oppose Iran, limiting the space for dissent or diplomatic engagement.
The book will be of interest to scholars and students of U.S. foreign policy, Middle East politics, and identity-based policymaking, as well as journalists and analysts focused on U.S.-Iran-Israel relations.
Contents
Introduction 1. From Securitization to Idenitification and Ordering Dynamics 2. The Background of the Israeli-American-Iranian Relations 3. Israel and the US: "Suppory for Israel is an Expression of Americanism" 4. The Israeli Idenitification of Iran: The Political, Mediatic, and Expert Message 5. From Pro-Israel to Anti-Iran: How the Two Indetifications Are Tied Together 6 "Standing with Israel also Means Standing against [...] Iran" Conclusion
