The shifting premise of Iran's foreign policy: Towards a democratic peace?

The all-important foreign policy component of Iranian president Muhammad Khatami's election has been universally overlooked partly because of the reformist rhetoric of his election campaign, This essay argues that the pivotal synergy in President Khatami's worldview between reforms at home and peace abroad was the principal reason why his overall message resonated so dramatically with young Iranians. More self-reliant, and also more exposed to worldwide influences of the democratic movement than their parents, these young men and women voted for Khatami significantly because they aspired to greater freedom at home and more cooperation with the rest of the world.