Introduction

Abstract

Academic debate regarding Iran’s national security has mainly focused on Tehran’s external relations, not least its relationship with the Gulf states, Israel, and of course the United States. This emphasis on power politics has tended to obscure any systematic analysis of Iran’s internal makeup, especially issues of intranational ethnic tension within the Islamic Republic. It is this phenomenon that forms the focus of this study. By drawing on the concepts of relative deprivation and societal security, this book develops an analytical framework that presents a unique examination of how intranational ethnic tension now posits a security challenge to the regime. It argues that this challenge is equally as acute as—if somewhat less coherent than—the security threats that have come to dominate a popular “realist” discourse surrounding Iran’s external behavior have increased.