THE SHIFTING PREMISE OF IRAN FOREIGN-POLICY - TOWARDS A DEMOCRATIC PEACE

The all-important foreign policy component of Iranian president Muhamm ad Khatami's election has been universally overlooked partly because o f the reformist rhetoric of his election campaign, This essay argues t hat the pivotal synergy in President Khatami's worldview between refor ms at home and peace abroad was the principal reason why his overall m essage resonated so dramatically with young Iranians. More self-relian t, and also more exposed to worldwide influences of the democratic mov ement than their parents, these young men and women voted for Khatami significantly because they aspired to greater freedom at home and more cooperation with the rest of the world.