Iran driven by the spirit | Sylvia Tiryaki | Referans

Plato and Aristotle knew it. For them, the social structures were determined by the three primary but different drives of the human psyche: appetite, spirit, and reason.

Plato and Aristotle knew it. For them, the social structures were determined by the three primary but different drives of the human psyche: appetite, spirit, and reason. According to this aptitude doctrine, people in societies (and state actors as well as states) can be divided into those finding their satisfaction through material means, honor or wisdom.

Wisdom of the ancient political philosophy tells us that appetite is corrupting, yet in the modern paradigms of international politics we have dropped the spirit out altogether and reduced reason to instrumentality. Theories of international relations and politics regard material interests and security as primary drives behind the states’ behavior. In other words, all of them, with perhaps a slim exception of constructivism, are rooted in appetite assuming rational calculations and plans of states.

However, such presumptions might be entirely wrong and relying on them might have dire consequences. As Richard Ned Lebow argues in his new book “A Cultural Theory of International Relations”, spirit has never ceased to be a fundamental human drive. Drive for one’s self-esteem is part of international relations together with material needs and security and striving for honor very often shapes political behavior.

This is something to be taken into account also – and maybe primarily – in the current “nuclear Iran” discussions. You may think I am talking about the pride and honor of Iran now. Not only; I am also referring to the United States.

While Turkey and Brazil were preparing the ground for future diplomatic moves, for the US having the sanctions pushed through became a matter of honor. Means became ends and the more resistance the crude sanctions were facing the more honor was seemingly at stake for the US. It seems that the nuclear issue fell onto the secondary agenda and the primary goal became just having the sanctions accepted.

But honor and self-esteem is not under the monopoly of one nation. As we know, the more the US was trying to impose financial restrictions on Iran, the lesser role the appetite aptitude has played in Iranian society. What has entered the front stage is honor.

We know very well from history that competing pride and honor do not lead to peaceful reconciliations and usually have dire consequences. Not much has changed in this respect since the Trojan War. Even though most group conflicts turn out to be irrational in terms of history, if the nature of the external situation is distorted sufficiently, even a madness of nuclear war may seem rational.

Yet, while talking about spirit and appetite I haven’t paid enough attention to reason – to the wisdom seekers. While political calculations of the parties to the conflict may be driven by spirited reasons, it is upon the third parties to assume the roles of rational actors.

Simply put, neither Turkey nor Brazil has a luxury to engage with one or two conflicting parties. Turkey should not side with Iran and should direct its focus not on words but on deeds. We should not forget about International Atomic Energy Agency’s (IAEA) reports, findings and suspicions. We should take them seriously. While trying to mediate, Turkey should encourage Iran to comply with the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) regime, too.