Asianization: A New Interpretation of "Look to East" Policy

“Look to East” strategy has become one of the main themes related to the foreign policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in recent years. Despite the repeated emphasis on this strategy, one of the main problems in this field is the lack of a precise explanation and different definitions of the word "East". On the other hand, in recent decades, and especially after the beginning of the new millennium, we have witnessed the rise of Asia and the increasing role of the Asian countries in international relations. The question posing itself is whether it is possible to forge a bridge between look to east and rise of Asia. The investigations of the current research under the descriptive-analytical method and based on library sources presented a new reading of looking to the East, categorized under the policy of "pivot to Asia" or more specifically “Asianization”. In addition, it became clear that this policy is a global trend that has been implemented in different countries of the world. Finally, by examining the history of Look to East policy in the Islamic Republic of Iran, it became clear that the strategy is the most likely option that the foreign policy apparatus of the Islamic Republic of Iran will pursue, at least in the next few years.