Mrs. Irena Kołakowska-Fałkowska will defend her doctoral dissertation titled : “Why Iran Endorsed the Nuclear Deal? Factors Shaping Iranian Security Policy and its Decision-Making on the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action”.

The Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) provided a peaceful diplomatic solution to a long standing crisis around Iranian nuclear program. The agreement was enabled by an exceptional correlation of favorable conditions, which pressed Iranian decision-makers from the outside and inside. The thesis examined the factors influencing Iranian decision to agree on the Nuclear Deal by following the neoclassical realist theory of international relations.

The concept offered a useful framework for the research by dividing external and internal factors, allowing for a detailed analysis of each of them and identifying points of conjunction. The analysis of regional situation of Iran pictured its perception of external threats and opportunities and a dynamic regional balance of power necessitating adjustments in state’s foreign policy.

Description of the economic situation, including the impact of sanctions, and the domestic political struggles within Iranian elites showed how the authorities’ decisions were shaped by the need to secure the survival of the political system of Iran. But they also exhibited the divergent interests of the elites, the resulting contradictory actions they have been taking and how these have been restricting the effectiveness of Iranian policies until present.  

The defense will take place on Friday, 13 December, at 15:00. It will also be held online. If you wish to attend, please contact ESU at esu@uliege.be, and the web link will be sent to you.