Futures Studies of American Domination and Colonialism in West Asia: A Structural Analysis of the Confrontation Between the Iran Axis and the U.S. Axis

Khaki, Mohsen

doi:10.22034/irsj.2026.243544

Futures Studies of American Domination and Colonialism in West Asia: A Structural Analysis of the Confrontation Between the Iran Axis and the U.S. Axis

Document Type : Original Article

Author

Mohsen Khaki

PhD in Political Science, University of Tehran, Tehran, Iran.

10.22034/irsj.2026.243544

Abstract

The events of 7 October 2023 and their subsequent developments generated extensive transformations in West Asia, among which one of the most significant has been the alteration in the mode of hard U.S. presence in the region. The principal research question is: How has the U.S. approach to domination and colonialism in West Asia changed, and what future scenarios can be envisioned regarding the confrontation between the Iran axis and the United States? Drawing upon the theoretical framework of offensive realism, the first part of the question is addressed. Subsequently, through the method of structural analysis, future scenarios concerning American domination are presented. The findings in the first section indicate that the U.S. government has adopted an offensive realist approach, encapsulated in the doctrine of “restoring peace through power” or “through war,” inspired by what is described as the “borderless violence of the Zionist regime.” In the second section, the futures analysis—based on the indicators associated with each scenario—suggests that the most probable outcome involves an expansion of U.S. military presence and role in cooperation with the Zionist regime against the Islamic Republic and the Axis of Resistance. The results of the structural analysis further indicate that the possibility of extracting concessions or improving political and security conditions through negotiation with the United States is, at least in the short term, infeasible and constitutes a deadlock.

Keywords

7 October

Axis of Resistance

West Asia

Offensive realism

U.S. hegemony