Introduction: The principle of decision-making in foreign policy is very significant, and the most noteworthy aspect in analyzing foreign policy is this decision-making principle. In the structure of the Islamic Republic of Iran, a substantial part of the decision-making process occurs through the presidency, as outlined in the role of the head of the executive branch. In presidential elections, as a process for reaching a consensus decision on how to politically govern society, candidates announce their positions on important issues, including foreign policy. While benefiting from a cognitive approach in foreign policy to examine the patterns and declared goals of electoral candidates, it can be said that despite the similarity in some patterns and declared goals, election candidates have expressed different approaches in foreign policy. This writing aims to analyze and examine the themes presented by the candidates, while also interpreting the underlying meanings they convey at a deeper level, revealing the hidden foundational significanceThe aim of this research is to examine the attitudes and declared goals of the candidates in the 14th presidential election regarding the foreign policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran. This analysis will focus on both the presidential debates and their announced plans and policies.
Research Question: The study seeks to answer the following questions: Which components of the principles of the foreign policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran do each of the candidates for the 14th presidential term emphasize? And what patterns emerge from their spoken and written statements regarding foreign policy?
Research Hypothesis: It can be said that despite the similarity in some patterns and declared goals Election candidates have expressed different approaches in foreign policy
Methodology: Cognitive approach to foreign policy decision-making as a comprehensive theoretical framework It allows us to predict the reactions of decision makers to international events and certain situations.In quantitative content analysis, unlike its qualitative counterpart, it is associated with quantitative data, statistical population, sample, frequency tables, and graphs. The electoral content of six candidates (Masoud Pezeshkian, Mostafa PourMohammadi, Saeed Jalili, Alireza Zakani, Amir Hossein Ghazizadeh Hashemi, and Mohammad Baqer Qalibaf) has been studied and analyzed multiple times. In this study, the statistical population consists of all speeches, writings, and official statements of the presidential candidates in the fourteenth election regarding foreign policy. This includes content from televised debates, electoral documentaries, media programs, and official statements on social networks, all of which have been examined comprehensively
Results and discussion: The main categories of the research have then been identified. In this way, codes are extracted, and categorization is performed by organizing the keywords.In the next step, the main indicators have been coded. The method of extracting codes based on the main categories derived from the objectives and the main research question has been conducted as follows: By examining the primary unit of analysis, which is words, in several debates, electoral programs, and the statements and writings of the candidates on social networks, everything related to the main question has been extracted, noted, and evaluated quantitatively within the framework of six main categories. The frequency distribution of these codes has been presented in tables.After the frequency table and the construction of graphs based on the categories, the data are interpreted. This is the process of quantitative content analysis used in the research. Additionally, the level of data analysis in this study is micro, and the research is applied.After the frequency table is created and graphs are drawn based on the categories, the data are interpreted. This outlines the process of quantitative content analysis employed in the research. Furthermore, the level of data analysis in this study is micro, and the research is applied in nature.Foreign policy researchers utilize a significant set of cognitive mechanisms that are examined in foreign policy analysis. Cognitive approaches aim to explore the minds of decision-makers to explain or answer the question of why states pursue specific foreign policies.Robert Jervis, as an example of the first generation of scholars engaging in the political psychology of foreign policy, in his book provides an understanding of the cognitive approach in the decision-making processes of foreign policy actors. He examines how cognitive awareness influences their perceptions, how they learn from history, and how shifts in attitudes and common patterns of misperception among decision-makers occur.His perceptual approach operates on the connection between psychology and politics in the realm of international relations. According to him, the psychological environment is the world as perceived by the politician and actor, while the operational environment is the realm in which policies are implemented
Conclusion: The decisions and policies of decision-makers are influenced by their goals, calculations, and perceptionsFirst, the characteristics in the electoral content related to the foreign policy of the candidates for the fourteenth presidential election have been quantified in the form of tables, analyzed separately for each candidate.The level of analysis considers the words or terms used by the electoral candidates. In this section, charts have been created to provide a more precise interpretation based on the frequency of the characteristics mentioned, which reflect their importance from the candidates' perspectives and shape their patterns and declared objectives in this area.Despite the fact that the distribution of the frequency of characteristics derived from the candidates' official statements allows for an understanding of their perspectives and the trajectory of their intended goals, charts have also been created for a more detailed interpretation of the dataIn the transitional international system that will emerge in search of a new order, the behavioral patterns adopted by actors in the realm of foreign policy are noteworthy for their positioning. The issue that this paper seeks to address is the explanation of the patterns and declared goals of the presidential candidates in the fourteenth election regarding foreign policy, which were examined through the content analysis of their electoral messages during the election period.In general, at first glance, the pattern observed among the four presidential candidates is based on a defensive emphasis on policy and domestic issues. However, their preferential rankings concerning other components demonstrate different patterns and objectives from one another.It must be noted that the role of the executive branch in foreign policy is undeniable, leading to a form of comprehensive accountability for its actions. Studies of this nature, alongside promoting the use of quantitative approaches such as content analysis—considered one of the most relevant methodologies for understanding the underlying dimensions of decision-makers' statements demonstrate how the decision-maker's range of beliefs and cognitive approaches can significantly influence the determination of objectives and the future state of the country's foreign policy.