BEYOND MATERIALIST HEGEMONY: TOWARD A THEORY OF TRANSCENDENTAL STATECRAFT AND ONTOLOGICAL RESISTANCE IN IRANIAN FOREIGN POLICY

Abstract

This paper challenges the prevailing materialist paradigms in International Relations (IR) by introducing the concepts of Transcendental Statecraft and Ontological Resistance, specifically through the lens of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s foreign policy. While Neorealist and Liberal Institutionalist frameworks often predict the collapse or moderation of revolutionary states under extreme economic pressure, this research argues that such states prioritize "Ontological Security"—the preservation of revolutionary identity and metaphysical meaning—over material comfort or physical survival. By analyzing primary ideological sources from Imam Khomeini and Ayatollah Khamenei alongside secondary IR literature on identity security, the study demonstrates how the Iranian state utilizes "Sacred Costs" and trans-territorial missions, such as the Palestinian cause, as constitutive anchors for state legitimacy. The paper concludes that the survival of the "Idea" offers a more robust explanation for state resilience in the 21st century than traditional market-based or kinetic power metrics.