Islamic Republic of Iran

Socio-cultural diversity is a comprehensive phenomenon across the world so that there are only a few monoethnical countries. Every country attempts to plan its policy to manage its ethnical diversity on one hand according to goals and approaches of its political system and on the other hand according to its specific ethnical diversity pattern. The Islamic Republic of Iran also is among countries with ethnical diversity and attempts to administrate its policy according to its political system approach toward ethnical diversity and the features of that diversity. In this paper it was tried to represent some socio-cultural suggestions, employing the positive experiences of countries with ethnical diversity and regarding opportunity-based approach of the Islamic Republic of Iran toward ethnical diversity and recommendations of the leaders of the revolution. The research method used here is a combination of documentary method with studying of resources and available studies, formation of elites’ panel, interviewing with elites. Also Smith’s general policy making model was used in the process.

The Islamic Revolution, which is a breakthrough in the history of Iran, introduced some new concepts in the arena of national debate. Founded on Shi’ite political thought, this Revolution has in recent years followed a particular theory of justice that has its roots in Shi’ite doctrines, and this is evident in the ideas of Imam Khomeini (r) and the current Supreme Leader. While preserving its originality, the Shi’ite concept of justice has been subject to new readings befitting the requirements of each government. In spite of [continued] developments in the discourse on Shi’ite justice under various governments, Shi’ite principles of the concept of justice have nonetheless been kept intact in the system of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and this shows the presence of a complete theory in the field of political thought in the system of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Apparently, the most common debate in post-revolutionary Iran is the debate between "Tradition" and "Modernity," which ultimately has manifested in the two fronts of "Traditionalism or Fundamentalism" and "Reformism or Moderation." These two fundamental dichotomies have shown themselves in every crisis and transformation, and political parties and movements in Iran have grown and been able to attract public opinion and create a social base on the basis of this general rift in Iranian society. The present study aims to answer the main question of ‘How the future structuring and configuration of political movements in the Islamic Republic of Iran will be?’ And ‘What scenarios can be envisioned in this regard?’ To this aim, a qualitative document analysis method was used and data collected using the tool of fishing from various sources. Additionally, by employing the scenario-writing method, it delves into examining the future structuring and configuration of political movements in the Islamic Republic of Iran. Hence, three scenarios or configurations in the arrangement of political forces in Iran are conceivable: Continuation of the arrangement and structuring of political movements in the form of fundamentalism and moderation, reinterpretation and reconstruction of the principles and discursive elements of political movements known as fundamentalist and reformist and formation of a new arrangement and configuration.

Changes in the security order of the regions cause changes in the control systems and containment of the threats of extra-regional intervening powers. This evolution can be seen in the dimensions of the units, the type of relationships, the layers of the units' communication with each other, and the way the units function to ensure their security interests. In the region of West Asia, which has gone through three periods of regulation, we are witnessing significant developments in the field of regulation. Simple and linear security system, complex security system and network security system are three periods of regulation in which there are three types of control and containment systems. Containment of the Islamic Republic of Iran as a regional security threat has always been discussed in US foreign policy after the victory of the Islamic Revolution. In this framework, the following research question is raised: What evolution has the American control and restraint system undergone against the Islamic Republic of Iran, and how has this evolution been? In response to the above question, the following hypothesis is proposed: the change in the security order of the West Asian region has caused the American control system to become a network control system, and this system is a four-layer network (geopolitics, geoeconomics, geoenergy, and geoculture) against The Islamic Republic of Iran operates. The research method in this article is descriptive-explanatory and documentary and library methods were used to collect the materials.

Land and "Land Policy" have always been important social issues that are related to and dependent on the policies and governance models of different countries. In contemporary Iranian history, the issue of land has always been an unresolved matter and a focus of the government's attention. The significance and sensitivity of this issue led policymakers to immediately address it after the Islamic Revolution, and the specific legal, social, and political concerns in this area prompted the formulation and implementation of a new policy for land distribution in rural areas of the country. Given the importance of this topic, the central theme of this research is the transformations that occurred in the field of rural land ownership in Iran under the influence of the Islamic Revolution, with the main goal of examining the impact that the phenomenon of the Iranian Islamic Revolution had on land policy in Iran. Therefore, the main question of this article is ‘What was the land policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in rural areas and on what principles, foundations, and implementation methods was it based?’ In response to this question, using a comparative method, we have addressed the land policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in rural areas and ultimately examined this policy by presenting a model.

The Balkans, in a specific sense, refers to the collection of countries in Southeast Europe that gained independence following the collapse of the former Yugoslavia, most of which are on the path to membership in the European Union. The Balkans, with its great ethnic diversity, is the intersection of three religions: Islam, Catholic Christianity, and Orthodox Christianity, and regarding its historical background, it is considered a crisis-prone area next to the European Union. Iran has long-standing deep cultural ties with the countries of this region, and the Persian language has historically held significant appeal among the intellectuals of this area. However, undoubtedly, Iran's presence and role in the Bosnian crisis during the 1990s is considered the most significant involvement of Iran in this part of Europe. The present study aims to explore the foreign policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the Balkans region, emphasizing Iran's role in Bosnia. The results indicated that the foreign policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the Balkans is consistent with the constructivist approach in international relations, and this region possesses considerable potential in cultural, political, and economic fields for the development of relations.  

With the victory of the 1979 Islamic Revolution in Iran, revolutionary socio-political movements emerged throughout the region that facilitated the formation of resistance groups against imperialism. The purpose of this research is to understand the process of the formation and evolution of resistance groups in the Islamic Republic of Iran’s regional policy. The main question of the study is “what is the place of resistance groups in the Islamic Republic of Iran’s regional political strategy?”. The hypothesis of the study is: “the Islamic Republic of Iran plays a stabilizing role in the region through collaboration with resistance groups against imperialism and intervention, a reality that serves the national interests of the region’s Islamic countries”. Based on the findings of the study, sponsoring the regional resistance groups provides stability and fosters the resistance discourse against US and Israel intervention, leading to the stabilizing of security for both Iran and other countries of the region. The method of the study is descriptive-analytical and the theoretical framework is neo-classical realism.

This study explores the capacities of practical theology in the foreign policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The significance of this topic lies in the potential of practical theology to offer a novel framework for understanding and implementing Iran's foreign policy. The main question of the article is: What are the capacities of practical theology in the foreign policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran? The research follows a descriptive-analytical approach, and data have been collected through library research and expert interviews. The research process includes examining the concepts of practical theology and foreign policy, analyzing expert perspectives, and identifying the capacities of practical theology in three main areas: shaping national identity and interests, guiding foreign policy behavior, and offering a new definition of the international order. The article’s main contribution is presenting a new perspective on integrating practical theology with foreign policy, which could enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of Iran’s foreign policy while also providing a basis for more active Iranian engagement in shaping the future global order

Following the end of the Cold War, the new world order was defined in terms of cooperation patterns in an interdependent world, even in the form of increasing globalization. However, contrary to what was proposed in theory, the practical realm and the operational arena of the world witnessed increasing competition and endless conflicts, confronting countries with emergent properties in the strategic environment. The Islamic Republic of Iran is among the countries that have been severely affected by such emergent properties and requires the create of a new strategic environment, a subject that has rendered international relations literature highly inefficient in both theoretical and applied domains, failing to address the strategic considerations of countries, including the Islamic Republic of Iran, in such a situation. In this regard, the question arises: ‘What are the strategic implications commensurate with the intensification and increase of regional and international conflicts?’ The answer is that regarding the emergence of a network of emergent conflicts that are sensitively dependent, the strategic decisions and necessities of countries will be influenced by this network. The present study examines the hypothesis by applying the abduction method and based on a complexity-chaos approach. The findings indicated that the Islamic Republic of Iran should formulate policies based on increasing complexity, enduring conflicts, and immediate deterrence by employing power diversity, and avoid any restriction of power elements and disruption in scientific-technological development. Otherwise, it may suffer an irreparable power gap with other actors, as in the past two centuries, and then face an existential threat.

By the advent of various political currents in the realm of power, the Islamic Republic of Iran has witnessed the emergence of sub-discourses that preserve the principles and propositions of the Islamic Revolution's discourse but differ in the subordinate propositions and inter-discourse developments. The latest is a "Moderationist sub-discourse" that has overcome other sub-discourses as the eleventh state started working in Iran. An important aspect of these sub-discourses is the impacts on foreign policy, especially toward the neighboring countries. In this way, Georgia gets significant importance due to its geopolitical features and the great deal of historical, cultural, and civilizational commonalities to Iran. However, due to regional and international changing conditions along with coming up various foreign policy sub-discourses, the relations between the two countries have had lots of ups and downs. On the other hand, after the Russo-Georgian 2008 war, the Russian Federation has exerted great influence on Georgian foreign policy, including relations with Iran. Therefore, this paper seeks to answer the question that, regarding the Russo-Georgian 2008 war, how has the Moderationist foreign policy discourse affected Iranian-Georgian relations? Findings of the study show that the presence of the Moderationist subdiscourse of Hassan Rouhani affected Iranian foreign policy and the pessimistic subjective impressions of the Georgian leaders toward the previous Iranian government regarding Russia's 2008 invasion of Georgia. As a result, we have witnessed a relative improvement in the relations between two countries in 2013–2017 compared to the relationships of the 2008–2013 period. This research uses the descriptive-analytical method.

Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the Karabakh conflict remains the longest and most significant conflict in the Caucasus region. This study examines the role of mediation, a key method in international conflict resolution, within international law, focusing particularly on the Karabakh conflict. The hypothesis suggests that mediation, a fundamental necessity for resolving international disputes, plays a crucial role in mitigating territorial conflicts, including Karabakh. Our findings highlight diverse perspectives regarding Iran's role in Central Asia, particularly in the Southern Caucasus during the conflict. Despite attempts by major powers like Russia, the USA, and Turkey to diminish its influence, Iran has maintained a stance of neutrality, asserting its significance as a neighboring state. Mediation, deeply rooted in various cultural traditions, including Islamic culture, has been strategically employed by Iran based on religious doctrines and national interests. Iran's mediation efforts, supported by cultural and historical commonalities, were conditional on the readiness of the conflicting parties and the appropriateness of the geopolitical context. The complexity of the Karabakh conflict is underscored by its multi-layered nature, the continued crisis, the geopolitical agendas of the mediators, and the number of involved actors. Iran's mediation aims to prevent a tripartite alliance among Azerbaijan, Armenia, and Turkey, stave off the conflict's expansion towards its borders, and curb the involvement of external actors like Israel and the USA. Russia, although geographically distant from Karabakh, plays a pivotal role in the region, amplified by its recent diplomatic maneuvers in response to the USA's attempts to reduce Russian influence in the Southern Caucasus.

The policy of Looking East represents a strategic approach towards the regions beyond the eastern, southeastern, and northeastern borders of the Islamic Republic of Iran, aiming to deepen harmonious relations with actors present in these areas. Consequently, the country has devoted particular attention to fostering cooperation and forming alliances with these actors, both through bilateral engagements and collective collaborations within the framework of regional convergence institutions, to secure national interests and enhance the country's security coefficient. Following the emergence of the Ahmadinejad administration, the Eastern Look has garnered increased importance, although it had been a consideration for previous governments. Iran's confrontations with the West, particularly over nuclear sanctions, have driven it to adopt policies in response to Western actions. Under the Raisi administration, Iran's "look east" policy, which had initially gained traction in theory, was pragmatically pursued and further developed as part of its Asian and neighboring strategies. This research examines how Iran has strengthened its relations with neighboring and eastern countries through this policy and evaluates the outcomes it has produced. In response to this question, we hypothesize that the Islamic Republic of Iran, through the development of the looking East and Asian and neighboring policies, initially reduced the pressure of Western sanctions against itself, leading to results such as the free trade agreement with the Eurasian Economic Union, membership in the BRICS, membership in the Shanghai Cooperation Organization, and the expansion of relations with neighboring countries. This research utilizes a qualitative research method with a trend analysis approach, drawing from library resources and scientific articles.

Since the Islamic Revolution, Iran's foreign policy has exhibited a strategic duality, making it one of the most complex on the global stage. A cursory review of its policies and decision-making across different administrations reveals a "sinusoidal" and seemingly erratic trajectory—ranging from the pro-Western inclinations of Bazargan's interim government to the revolutionary export-oriented approach of later administrations. However, a deeper analysis of Iran's foreign policy over the past four decades suggests that, despite its oscillations, it has followed a consistent linear trajectory, firmly rooted in the constitutional framework and committed to its role as a champion of liberation movements. In this context, the Islamic Republic of Iran has effectively leveraged a significant portion of its capabilities. Moreover, due to Iran's rich historical and cultural heritage, its neighborliness policy is key in fostering coalitions with neighboring communities and governments. Recognizing its significant and influential role in the foreign policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran, the conceptual and practical dimensions of this influence are apparent in the political behavior of the country, whether intentionally or unintentionally, directly or indirectly. This research employs an analytical-explanatory method and an inductive approach, structuring its analysis within a multidimensional framework that considers historical, cultural, geographical, political, and economic factors. Key variables and concepts examined include coalition-building, the Axis of Resistance, and the neighborliness policy. Ultimately, the study offers solutions to address the obstacles and crises confronting the Islamic Republic of Iran.