Dialogue Or Destruction: A Vision For A New Civilizational Alliance with Tehran
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.61841/44rjf385Keywords:
Geopolitics, Iran, USA, Heartland, Rimland, Samson Option, Strategic Depth, Eurasian Architecture, smart strategy, nuclear diplomacy, Middle EastAbstract
The USA-Israel-Iran conflict has reached a dangerous point where the sides are not satisfied
with symmetric strikes, and strikes on nuclear objects erase "red lines". Iran counters the
technological advantages of the USA and Israel with its cheap technologies and geographical
advantages—Strategic Depth, as well as an ideologized social structure. The "maximum
pressure strategy" by the USA has forced Iranians to adopt a strategy of facing an "existential
threat," which comes down to the principle: "if we are destroyed, you too with us". Sanctions
applied by the USA against Iran have hardened the country's foreign policy, as well as internal
narratives, which is a dangerous reality. US "smart power" should lead not to a "clash of
civilizations," but to a "dialogue of civilizations," so that the USA establishes itself in the
Eurasian Heartland not as a destructive force, but as a constructive force.
Downloads
References
Friedman, G. (2011) The Next Decade: Where We've Been... and Where We're Going. New York: Doubleday.
Hersh, S. M. (1991). The Samson option: Israel's nuclear arsenal and American foreign policy. Random House. https://catalog.freelibrary.org/Record/155383
Huntington, S. P. (1996) The Clash of Civilizations and the Remaking of World Order. New York: Simon & Schuster.
Kaplan, R. D. (2012) The Revenge of Geography: What the Map Tells Us About Coming Conflicts and the Battle Against Fate. New York: Random House.
Khatami, M. (1998, September 21). Statement by H.E. Mohammad Khatami, President of the Islamic Republic of Iran, before the 53rd Session of the United Nations General Assembly. Parstimes. https://www.parstimes.com/history/khatami_speech_un.html
Kissinger, Henry A. World Order: Reflections on the Character of Nations and the Course of History. New York: Penguin Press, 2014.
Mackinder, Halford J. "The Geographical Pivot of History." The Geographical Journal 23, no. 4 (1904): 421–37.
Nossel, S. (2004)."Smart Power: Reclaiming Liberal Internationalism." Foreign Affairs, 83(2) 131-142.
Nye, J. S., Jr.(2011) The Future of Power. New York: PublicAffairs.
Ostovar, A. (2016). Vanguard of the Imam: Religion, Politics, and the Revolutionary Guard. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
Spykman, N., J. (1944). The Geography of the Peace. New York: Harcourt, Brace and Company.
Takeyh, R. (2009). Guardians of the revolution: Iran and the world in the age of the Ayatollahs. Oxford University Press.
Waltz, K. N. (2012). Why Iran should get the bomb: Nuclear balancing would mean stability. Foreign Affairs, 91(4), 2–5.
Al Jazeera. (2026, March 21). Iran says US and israel attacked Natanz nuclear facility. https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/3/21/iran-says-us-and-israel-attacked-natanz-nuclear-facility
The Guardian. (2026, March 21). Iran hits Israeli town housing nuclear facility in retaliation for Natanz strike.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 Ara L. Poghosyan (Author)

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
You are free to:
- Share — copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format for any purpose, even commercially.
- Adapt — remix, transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, even commercially.
- The licensor cannot revoke these freedoms as long as you follow the license terms.
Under the following terms:
- Attribution — You must give appropriate credit , provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made . You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.
- No additional restrictions — You may not apply legal terms or technological measures that legally restrict others from doing anything the license permits.
Notices:
You do not have to comply with the license for elements of the material in the public domain or where your use is permitted by an applicable exception or limitation .
No warranties are given. The license may not give you all of the permissions necessary for your intended use. For example, other rights such as publicity, privacy, or moral rights may limit how you use the material.
