Russian Hubris in Iran: Diplomacy, Clientelism, and Intervention (1907-1912)

International audienceBy the time the Russian and British Empires signed the August 1907 convention that divided Iran into spheres of influence between the two powers, Russian political and economic presence in Iran had been seriously challenged by the nascent Iranian constitutional movement. The business of numerous Russian commercial firms operating in Iran since the late nineteenth century was threatened by the spread of disorder in the Iranian provinces. The subsequent military intervention by Russia on Iranian territory in 1911 and 1912 is usually perceived as an extension of counterrevolutionary policies across the border and a manifestation of Russia's colonial domination over a weakened neighbor. At the same time, as the fruit of years-long debates in St. Petersburg on the interministerial level, the intervention put into question the previous strategy of Russian foreign policy seeking to sustain balance in the region vis-à-vis the British and the Ottomans. The critical analysis of the decision-making process leading to the intervention reveals the key role of reports coming from numerous Russian consuls in Tehran and the provinces in the escalation of the crisis in 1911