Constructive Reflection on the Role of Identity in the Defense Policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran with Emphasis on Defense Self-Sufficiency

Various internal and external variables influence defense policy. Beliefs, values, historical experiences of nations and defense ideas are the most important identities that influence defense policy. A review of the defense and security developments in the Islamic Republic of Iran indicates that defense self-sufficiency is one of the most important orientations of its defense policy in the past four decades. The present study was conducted in the form of a qualitative approach and its data were collected through a combined method (libraries and interviews).The data were analyzed using 'content analysis' method and establishing correlation between axial statements. According to the results obtained, historical experiences and the rule of “mustache negation” are the most important identity variables affecting self-sufficiency in Iran; this role-Playing is done by understanding the national role of the "independent state"; the cultural approach, centered on constructivism theory, is an appropriate theoretical framework for analyzing Iran's defense policy.