Multidisciplinary Subjects
Us-Iranian Power Dynamics and Nigeria’s National Security
1 Department of Political Science, Nnamdi Azikiwe University, Awka, Nigeria
Abstract
The geopolitical rivalry between the United States of America (USA) and the Islamic Republic of Iran constitutes one of the most consequential bilateral conflicts in contemporary international relations. Rooted in the aftermath of the 1979 Iranian Revolution and sustained by decades of competing strategic, ideological, and economic interests, the USA-Iran power struggle has evolved from a regional Middle Eastern dispute into a global flashpoint with wide-ranging implications for international peace and security. This paper employs Power Theory, as advanced by classical and contemporary realist scholars including Hans Morgenthau, John Mearsheimer, and Kenneth Waltz, to analyze the muscular posturing of both states in their relentless pursuit of dominance, deterrence, and strategic advantage. The findings underscore the urgent need for Nigeria to develop an autonomous, robust, and forward-looking national security architecture capable of neutralizing both direct and indirect threats arising from global power contestations. Thus, recommends diversification of the national economy beyond oil, strengthening of national security institutions, and the practical adoption of a principled non-alignment foreign policy posture that insulates Nigeria from the crossfire of great power competition.
Keywords: US; Iran; Power; Conflict; Nigeria; National Security.
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