Strategic Studies of the Islamic Revolution

Strategic Studies of the Islamic Revolution

The Islamic Republic of Iran and the Strategy of Preserving and Strengthening Anti-Colonial and Anti-American Orientations in Islamic and Arab Movements and Revolutions (Case Study: The Egyptian Revolution of 2011)

Document Type : Original Article

Author
Abolfazl Masoumi
PhD Candidate in Political Science, with a concentration in Political Sociology, University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran.
10.22034/irsj.2026.243538
Abstract
The victory of the Islamic Revolution not only reinforced anti-American orientations within Iran but also intensified anti-despotism and anti-colonial motivations throughout the region, particularly among Arab and Islamic movements and revolutions. Beyond the diffusion of the Iranian Revolution’s anti-colonial slogans to surrounding societies, over the past four decades the Islamic Republic has sought to articulate Iran’s experiences in confronting the United States and Western powers and to preserve and strengthen anti-colonial and anti-American orientations within Islamic and Arab movements. One manifestation of these efforts occurred during the wave of uprisings and revolutions in Arab countries, particularly in relation to the Egyptian Revolution of 2011. This study seeks to answer the question: How did the Islamic Republic pursue a strategy of preserving and strengthening anti-colonial and anti-American orientations before and after the victory of the Egyptian Revolution? The findings demonstrate that, concurrent with the onset of revolutionary developments in Egypt, high-ranking officials of the Islamic Republic, through numerous speeches, attempted to maintain and reinforce the revolution’s anti-colonial and anti-American motivations. In this regard, emphasis was placed on Egypt’s geopolitical position within the Islamic world, its historical record of resistance to despotism and colonialism, the freedom-seeking spirit of the Egyptian people, and Egypt’s role in confronting the Zionist regime. The Islamic Republic sought to provide analysis of the anti-colonial nature of the Egyptian Revolution, clarify the divisive policies of Western governments, warn against regression and the hijacking of the revolution by foreign or pro-Western infiltrating currents, identify key reference groups within the revolution (religious scholars, political elites and parties, youth, and the military), and offer guidance toward “system-building” and “Islamic civilization-building” as alternatives to Western civilization—thereby reinforcing anti-American and anti-colonial orientations.
Keywords
Islamic Revolution
Egypt
Content analysis
Foreign policy
Strategic Studies of the Islamic Revolution
Volume 3, Special Issue
Winter 2026
Pages 293-336