Political Quarterly
Year:2005 | Volume:- | Issue:67|Papers Count:17

The collapse of the communist system and the ensuing break up of Soviet Union re-defined the whole international system. For the global international community, it siginfied that the end of cold war and preceived victory of modern democracy and free market system over communist one. It was believed the newly independent republics of the Federation of the Soviet Union were firmly on the road to modern democracy. Such a belief was not totally happen in Central Asia in the first decade of independence and strong authoritarian presidentialism appeared in the five republics.This article aims where these regimes fit in terms of non democratic states, and what are the basic reasons for this type of authoritarianism regimes after communism.

The main aim of this paper is to study and analyse the relation between religion and nationalism, or in other words, between Islam and Iran in the second half of the Twentieth Century. The dominant view on this subject, regards this relation a mutually exclusive one. The main argument of this article is that such a view lacks historical insight and that the Iranian context of the past rejects this confrontation.

This article studies theoretical and practical infrastructure of Iran behavior and foreign relations. This means Jihad (Holy war). At present conditions of international system, some of jurisconsult and thinkers of Islamic world, carry out detailed division on Jihad in Islam, but the most of them divide Jihad into two general kinds: "Initial Jihad" (Liberalization) that is performed in order to call Polytheists to Islam religion, and only is done in time of enemy military aggression. The second is "Defensive Jihad", in time when Islamic interests, cities and territory are endangered, all of Moslems are confronted to second kind of Jihad, that it is indispensable on all of Moslems, including men and women, old and young, to defend by every way. It occurred to in Iraqi Aggression against Iran.

Price of oil has a major influence on the world economy. Its increase has a role in the world economy decline. In short term, the oil price increase results in the fall of the GNP in the oil importing countries that lack oil resources. Nevertheless, subsequently the oil importing industrial countries offset the increased oil prices by upgrading the cost of their services and by implementing monetary policies. Therefore, only the developing countries are to suffer from the oil price increase and hence, the gap between the industrialized and poor countries would continue to widen.

There had been several trends in political thought and knowledge in the highest period of history of Iran and Islam, between the second and sixth Hejri Centuries. The important trends had been political philosophy and law, political science and policy. Political philosophy which was the main basis for other trends, had begun from the dawn of political history and the civilization of Iran, and the Islamic thought had helped its  continuation and development. Meanwhile, Farabi (250-339 H.) was the founder of political philosophy in Iran and Islamic world. Sadra's trancendetal philosophy, or Hekmat of politics in the 11th century (H.), or political trancendetal Hekmat (P.T.H.), and now, Imam khomeini's Hekmat of political (T.P.H.) or  trancendental political Hekmat, is the continuance and development of political philosophy in Iran and Islam. These trends of thought and political knowledge, now is confronted with natural philosophy and Nihilism of Modernism and post-Modernism. Therefore, the important issue and view or perspective of the contemporary Islamic and Iranian political philosophy, is political Hekmat for the process of political theory making and policy making and introducing the political efficiency of practice.

The past fourteen years has witnessed ceaseless and untiring efforts by Iran to capture a share of the water market in the countries that make up the Persian Gulf Cooperation Council (PGCC). This article explores Iran's motives and goals in targeting the PGCC water market. It also examines the reasons for the failure of Iran's negotiations with Qatar and their success with Kuwait. Finally, it considers why Iran was slow in responding to Kuwaiti requests for a rapid conclusion of the deal. With respect to the first question, it is argued that Iran's goals and motives have been primarily political rather than economic. Regarding the second, the article contends that the failure of negotiations with Qatar stemmed from Iran not accommodation the influential political actors in the Emirate. The talks with Kuwait succeeded because Iran did bring the influential actors on board. Iran's failure to conclude the talks with Kuwait more speedily is attributed to Tehran's concerns about the domestic repercussions of the deal.

One of the important political / religious events of recent century is appearance of shiite democracy in Iran. Versus to western traditions, the beginning and experience of democracy in Iran has been along with deliberations [shura/mashwarah] and religious debates around it. Thus, the experience of democracy in shiite Islam, with respect to its theoretical and historical foundations, is very different from that of the west. In this article, I am trying to provide a summary analysis over the religious foundations, forms, and trends of shiite democratic modernization in Iran. It appears that the Shiite political modernization in recent century, primarily, returns to the developments of political jurisprudence traditions in religious investigations, that has been perfected until the Iranian Constitutionalism and hereon. This article tries to analyze these historical and political / religious experiences from the era of constitutionalism to establishment of Islamic Republic system in Iran.

The regional studies is one of the most important issue areas in international relations that developed in respond to problems and realities of international system. But in regional studies exist some theoretical difficulties and disfunctions. This article in respond to that disfunctions and by use of international relations theoretical approaches and simulations of theories that provide in other areas, especially engineering, designs a conceptual and theoretical framework for regional studies. For this purpose, first different approaches including traditional and modem power-centric approach, neofunctionalism, communication, core-peripheral, cybernetic and identity centeric approaches will be studied and finally these approaches will be orginized in a new conceptual design.

After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Islamic fundamentalism has been one of the influencial factors in the process of events in Central Asia. Islamic groups have played an increasing role in 1990s developments in this Region. These groups that reflect deep impact of Islamic thoughts and trends, been very active during last decade. Emergence of Taliban in Afghanistan and ethnic linkages between this country and its neighbours in Central Asia, lead to spill-over the waves of instability from Afghanistan to this Region. Consolidation of Taliban's power in Afghnistan also help to accelerate the process of peace negotiations in Tajikistan. A collection of factors have intensified the process of Islamic fundamentalism growth in Central Asia. Recent events have demonstrated that Islamic elements have played a very crucial role in the Region, and it constitutes basic part of its identity after Sep. 22. This factor have been more influencial than the past. Central Asia's political elits have percieved it as their major rival. This article puts the light on the origins of extending Islamic fundamentalism in the Region.

One of the main concerns of the Critical Theory in International Relations has been metatheoretical issues. The main argument of this article is that this concern, although much criticized by the mainstream scholars, is so relevant to another concern of the Critical Theory, i.e., transformation in international relations, and it constitutes an integral part of the theoretical scheme. The first part of the article focuses on the main ontological, epistemological, and methodological arguments of the critical theorists both within and outside IR. Then the issue of the transformation in international relations will be discussed. Issues such as new historical block, counter-hegemony, more inclusive communities, and emancipation at the international level raised by critical theorists inspired by the Frankfurt School and Antonio Gramsci will be examined. The article concludes with demonstrating how the two theoretical concerns are interrelated.

Viewing the cycling approach in policy studies as an eligible base in analysis of public policy researches, implementation and evaluation rise as the most difficult stages in the policy cycle for which, writers have devoted a good part of their efforts. In this article, a mixed approach, derived from Etzioni and Hirshman attitudes toward implementation and evaluation has been structured as another way of viewing the problem.