~Acknowledgements

~I would like to thank Dr Benjamin MacQueen for his encouragement and feedback as I began this thesis. His advice was always timely and generous. I’d also like to thank Dr Timothy Lynch for his extremely useful feedback and constant advice and support during the final months.

This book engages in an exploration of the evolving US policy regarding Iran, catalysed by the 2002 revelations about expansion of its nuclear programme. By examining the unfolding nuclear crisis and the contours of US diplomacy during the George W. Bush and Obama administrations, it seeks to understand the strengths and weaknesses of American non-proliferation policies and the lessons and...

~This chapter provides a concise overview of US nuclear policy during the Cold War. It details the role of the United States in setting up the Iranian nuclear programme under the Shah. The Cold War considerations of the United States, and the strategic importance of Iran in balancing Soviet expansion into the Middle East help explain the early US...

~The revelations about Iran’s expanded nuclear programme that surfaced in 2002 radically altered America’s policy stance towards the country. Iran’s policy quickly became absorbed into the broader strategic calculations of the War on Terror. In this context, the spectre of an Iranian nuclear bomb took on a new and frightening...

~This chapter will explore the consequences of the Bush administration’s policies, with a focus on the further expansion of Iran’s nuclear programme and the challenge this presents for non-proliferation norms. Despite strong statements about the irrational and untrustworthy nature of Iran’s leaders, the likelihood of its nuclear...

~In 2008, President Obama inherited eight years of policy confusion that had resulted in the worrying expansion of Iran’s nuclear programme. One of the more significant policy shifts was the willingness shown by the new administration to negotiate directly with the Iranian regime without pre-condition. The most difficult issue to resolve in...

~Obama’s second term in office has seen a significant shift in the relationship between the United States and Iran. This chapter will provide a detailed analysis of the negotiations with Iran since the election of President Hassan Rouhani. The Geneva Process with the P5+1 and the Joint Plan of Action (JPOA) has sought to resolve many of the...

~This chapter will explore the long-term implications of the Obama administration’s policy of engagement with Iran on nuclear proliferation in the Middle East region, the strengthening of Iranian regional influence and the potential for this to increase instability, and the broader consequences for the strength of the NPT. The challenge that...

~The problem of Iran’s nuclear programme has dominated US foreign policy for more than a decade. The desire to prevent Iran from ever gaining the ability to develop a nuclear weapon fit within the broader tradition of US non-proliferation policy. Yet, despite being one of the most powerful states in the international system, US leaders were...

Ahmadinejad, Mahmoud,...

Dr Kumuda Simpson is a Lecturer in International Relations in the Department of Politics and Philosophy at La Trobe University. She received her PhD from the University of Melbourne in 2012 and has taught at several Australian Universities. Her research interests nuclear proliferation and energy security, Arms Control, and American Politics. She has published on a range of issues including...

The series focuses on weapons of mass destruction (WMDs), discussing all issues surrounding nuclear, chemical, radiological, and biological weapons. The volumes aim to present varying historical, contemporary, state, non-state, traditional, and non-traditional approaches from emerging scholars, established academics, and those involved in the foreign and security policy domains.