Two-Level Diplomacy and U.S.-Iran Policy. A Case Study Report

Case Study from the year 2021 in the subject Politics - Region: USA, University of Heidelberg (Institut fur Politische Wissenschaft), course: US Foreign Policy Analysis, language: English, abstract: In this Case Study Report, the author examines the U.S.-Iran negotiations on a nuclear agreement, which serve as an empirical example of the Two-Level Games model the political scientist Robert Putnam introduced in 1988. At first, this paper provides a brief overview of the complex relationship between the USA and Iran, Putnam s Theory and its suitability for this case. Secondly, it introduces the relevant actors, their goals and the respective domestic factors of both countries which had influenced the negotiations that finally led to the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) in 2015. Since then president Donald Trump withdrew from this nuclear agreement in 2018, it will examine the chances for a return to the deal/a new deal under the new Biden administration. In a short conclusion, the author sums up the results and comes to a final assessment of the current situation.