The Decision Field for Trump and JCPOA: From Exit to the Future Scenario

Initially, it was believed that signing the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) would bring a happy ending to one of the biggest challenges between Iran and the United States. However, with Trump's inauguration and his aggressive approach towards Iran, the JCPOA has not only failed to function as a tool to end the deep conflict between the two nations, but also became a victim of Trump's stance. There are many analyses as to what caused this behavior by Trump, but it seems that an understanding of the continuing relationships or spaces of the social structure, beyond material and immaterial analysis, can more appropriately and realistically explain his approach. Thus, the main question addressed herein is, “What factors caused the performance and construction of Trump's social world concerning the JCPOA? Assuming that the JCPOA will be reinstated in the Biden era, what scenarios await if Trump returns to power?” Based on descriptive and analytical methods, this study found that the idiosyncrasies of capital, character, and symbolic violence as three dimensions of Trump's decision-making field led to resistance to and, as a result, his withdrawal from the JCPOA. Due to their stability, the exit policies resulting from these dimensions will cause Trump to adopt the same behavior if he regains power in 2024, assuming the revival of the JCPOA during the Biden era.