US Foreign Policy Towards Iranian Nuclear Deal: Comparative Analysis of Obama and Trump Administration

Abstract

Iranian nuclear threat is one of the most contentious issues in US foreign policy as it poses significant threats to US interests in the Middle East. The US objective is to prevent Iran from acquiring a nuclear weapon but each US administration came up with their own set of policies. There have been various factors that play an important role in foreign policy decision making. However, the process of determining the US foreign policy has some serious consequences impacted by the change from the Obama administration to the Trump administration. The direct engagement policy of Obama was replaced by a maximum pressure policy that appears to be preparing to impress with a more rigorous approach to foreign affairs that ultimately turned the US into an isolationist state. The aim of this study is to investigate the factors behind the inconsistency in the US foreign policy towards Iranian nuclear deal from President Obama to Trump presidencies. By using the qualitative research methodology, this study has analyzed the role of the domestic factors along with leaders' perception and their personalities that bring inconsistency in the foreign policy from Obama to the Trump administration.