Political Quarterly
Year:2012 | Volume:41 | Issue:4|Papers Count:20

The history of Iranian political thought during the Islamic era can be divided in 2 parts: middle era and modern era. In the middle era which ended in Mashroota revolution, political thought tended to be united with religion, with the rules of thought–genera being based upon religions tents, and the role of reason being only limited to uncritical exposition of the predecessor's ideas. As a result the political thought was characterized as authoritative. In the modern era, the restoration of traditional concepts was restarted after an interval, and modern Iranian political thought gave up its authoritative character. This article aims to demonstrate that Iranian political thought during the Islamic era missed its philosophical essence after Farabi.

In the past two decades, the world as a whole and the USA in specific, were confronted by new kinds of threats. In this era, USA has tried to change it's strategies to encounter these threats especially after 9/11. Dealing with them, requires a new strategy that includes different variables such as political, military, economic and etc. The goal of this strategy is to leave the most affects on enemy's behavior with the least costs. According to this strategy, the USA has to follow "Effect-Based Operation" against radicalism and terrorism in Afghanistan. In this era, the USA assumes that it's security depends on establishing peace and security in the countries which can be safe heaven for terrorist organizations.

Socio-political metatheories based on ontological and epistemological foundations, could be devided to different objectivist and subjectivist fronts.According to such a devide, different interpretation of individual-society and agent structure could be renderd. In contrast, critical metatheories that seek to transcend the contradiction between objectivity-subjectivity in the individual-society and agent structure relation, render some kinde of critical approach that at the same time conciders the positive and negative capabilities of both fronts in representing the socio-political reality. Critical realism as an total approach to philosophy of science in the first place, introduce the critical naturalism as a metatheorical foundation in respect of socio-political ontology and epistemology to transcend the objectivity sujectivity dichotomy between individual-society and agent-structure. The importance of such transcending especially in the realm of political theory is that it brings with itself a realistic justification of theory-practice rationality that relates to the objectivity-subjectivity and fact-value distinction.

This study aims to indicate how two geopolitics images, vulnerable and fragile, of Iraq Kurdistan region put on three cultural cleavages of Arab, Fars and Turk and non- reliance to these area causes looking to the outputs of Iraq and a convergence glance with Israel as strategic ally. Iraq Kurdistan is located in the area of pulling and pushing three cultural areas of Iran, Arab and Turk. After Iraq occupied and pressurized y these three areas and uncertainty against USA policies, it inevitably influenced by geopolitical force and pulled towards Israel. This study hypothesize that against regular looks to Israel as the main beneficiary related to Kurds, regarding to the geopolitics complications and regional desperation of Iraq Kurds from their traditional neighborhoods and security syndrome present in their neighborhood countries than them, they are seeking to converge with Israel.

The aim of this essay is to elaborate the question of why and how new public diplomacy has became important in current international relations and what structure and function it has. Two hypotheses will be given based on inputs and study of international trends: 1. It argues that the new global public sphere has turned new public diplomacy into main elements to enhance the soft or smart power of different states and to extend their influence in international politics.2. The additive important of public diplomacy in new form was the main factor of changing in national diplomatic systems. This evolution caused these systems to contour theoretical and functional framework for conducting and management of actions, discourses and images in international politics.

Although Iran's accesses to the first position of region not to be far away, but encounter with very challenges and limits, the solution of these challenges both in international and external area is pathfinder for our country to get it's real status.Thus, the first pace in this way will be recognize these challenges. On the one hand, encountering part of Islamic Republic of Iran's foreign policy with some of International system's current norms, on the other hand, the existence of difficulties in relationship with regional powers, for power distribution in the region, provided Iran with challenges to be regional power. Therefore the main purpose of this article is to study and recognize these challenges and offering the techniques in order to overcome them and also promoting the ground of consolidating Iran's regional power.

The national welfare state systems of the European countries are usually grouped and studied in four different social policy models: Anglo-Saxon, Continental, Mediterranean and Nordic. Economic analysis sponsored by the European Commission, suggest that the Nordic model with high spending on social security and high taxes, little job protection but high employment security has been as successful as the Continental model at both providing welfare & preventing poverty with relatively less burden on public spending, but what has worked for miniature Nordic states is not expected to easily work for much larger and far less homogeneous cultures and societies in the rest of the Europe.

In This Essay Is Trying to Study The Relation Between Islam and Democracy In Model of Deep Democracy and Committed Democracy. Thus, I Study This Relation in on Seven Factors of Concepts of Democracy (Political or Philosophical), Awareness From outside, Multi Approach to Democracy, Community nd Self Interaction, Communication, Situated Self and Pluralism, That Are Beyond of Current Liberal Democracy in The West, and Criticize It. This Factors Are Basis of Deep Democracy. And, Because Committed Democracy Is Taking From Shariati, s Thought, Then This Democracy Relyed on Shariati, s Thought. Finally, Is Resulted That, Shariati, s Reading on Islam, in This Sight, Is Democratic.

This essay tries to study the context of rise, establishment, developments and social and class status of Jamiyate Fadaian-Islam on the basis of documents & oral history of them in the Iran's documentary archives. The main hypothesis of this study is Jamiyate fadaian- Islam was a new community in Iran & has critical criticism to conservatism of Hoze-haye-elmiye & cultural reforms of Reza shah.Members of this community consisted of market shop-boys, young clergymen & loutiha. The average of their age was 21. They rose from hayat-haye-mazhabi (religious associations) & finally were dissolved in them. Their documents & investigation files, make available new narratives that are different from others.

Political developments in The Middle east expanded in February 2011 and led to the fall of Ben Ali's regime in Tunisia, Mobarak in Egypt and Ali Abdollah Salleh in Yemen. In this new conditions, cultural and identity symbols found more pivotal roles and places. Marginal players changed the power equation in the center, and Westphalian features of power and authority lost their functions. In this new international climate, Identity acts more importantly than that of classical age of positivism and rationalism. Therefore, some aspects of geo-cultural changes that formed in the regional fields, have caused struggle between different forces. In this climate, some factors such as geo - politics of resistance are to be mentioned. The process means an emergence of confrontation between resistance rooted in identity, and models based on attempts to save status quo politics. The present article is to study relation between normative of Iran's revolution and geo-culture of resistance in peripheral context.

In this article, political developments in Iran after the Islamic Revolution has been studied to answer this question we Describe and identify the nature of Iran's political system and mechanisms of change in these political systems and we try to prove this hypothesis that Political developments in Iran in this period has been involved changes in government. This changes have affected by competition between different sub-discourses of Islamic thought on the one hand and social and economic changes after the revolution in Iran on the other hand. Furthermore, external factors have had an important marginal role in these developments.

A considerable part of the current thought has allocated to various debates on the "globalization age" and "Different Globalizations". Globalization as a phenomenon which has tightened social, cultural and political relations is deepening and expanding in a daily manner. Despite of this generalism, a kind of exceptionalism in form localist theories has been remarked in the globalization context. The authors' hypothesis is that, localism in its different epistemological, political and historical aspects has serious conflictions with globalization (e.g. continuation of modernity). The paper will survey the notion of globalization, its consequences and concept of localism, then to examine the author's hypothesis, paradoxes of localism theory will be explained. The approach of the paper is descriptive-analytical.

Based on many different experiences of development in various societies, there are common elements in all of these patterns. Changes in the mind and beliefs of the people, is one these factors. In Iran, in the Qajar era, this kind of elements had been appeared. There was a wave of expansion of intellectuals in the society, and publication of modern newspapers, which played an influential role in the upgrading peoples' awareness. One of these newspapers was Parvaresh. In this article, the authors analysis its contents to find important factors for changing the society in the path of development and progress.

The main objective of this article is to examine the U.S. nuclear war plans, which have led to the transformation of the grand strategy of the United States since 1945, and they have also a significant impact on the nuclear programs of the nuclear–weapon states (NWS), defense policies of NATO and international security.Research questions include: What are the similarities and differences in U.S. nuclear war plans? Is there any credible information about U.S. nuclear forces deployed outside its territory, particularly in the Middle East? What are the main differences between the Obama administration's nuclear strategy and the past U.S. strategies.What are the implications of U.S. nuclear war plans for the national security of nonnuclear–weapon states (NNWS), and especially for the Islamic Republic of Iran.The overall conclusion of this analytical investigation is that the U.S. nuclear war plans and its nuclear forces have created tension in international relations, and have consequently had an adverse impact on national security of Iran and the other non–nuclear–weapon states.

The International Relations is shaped to answer of order dilemma. The most important topic the theories of this discipline deal with is presenting a model of order by the players acting in the arena of international system. The purpose of the present article is to know what the theoretical approach of international relations concerning the problem of post Cold War is. It seems that the discipline of international relations encounters multi-paradigms in explaining its topic (order) due to change in its performance framework, that is, international system. Thus, to find the causes of order and disorder, some important guidelines such as balance, institutional, idea and justice centric orders have been offered. We will explain the dimensions of each. Finally, attempt is made to suggest the indexes of the desirable model of order in the current international system.

The necessity of reform in Persian Gulf region brought by itself the question of "imposed democracy". The most important plan in this context was the Broader Middle East and North Africa Initiative that is directed by United States.Examining the consequences of this plan prove the relative changes in Shiite situation first, then that the Initiative is still working and, third the effect of violation of promises given in the new Arab uprising is important.

With respect to major changes which have been made in the viewpoints and functions of students' organization in the past few decades, it seems that today students' activities along with considering national propagation and information (by students) is taking practical steps towards establishments to overcome students' problems as well as paying attention to future employment of students. This paper gives a short history on the development of students' organization in France and the mental and practical foundations of those establishments and introduces three major students unions in France and their ideas in students' election polls. It also gives a brief account on some of the viewpoints of French students on their life and education affairs. A history of students' movements in Iran before and after Islamic revolution has been introduced. The paper proceeds with classifying students' establishments, their role and functions in Iran and in conclusion, a summary of differences and similarities in the motifs of students' movements in Iran and French are discussed.

From ancient times, governments have laid emphasis–albeit with varying degrees–on large-scale plans and their impact on society and have thus resorted to them. The Iranian government is of course no exception, both before and after the 1979 Revolution, the different administrations of the country maintained that employing large-scale plans was fruitful and applied them accordingly. Although neo-liberalism deterred governments from adopting such an approach for a period of time, the economic meltdown of the first decade of the new millennium prompted the active participation of governments in the domain of pubic policymaking and applying more or less large-scale plans. The Government of the Islamic Republic of Iran has of course consistently pursued an advocacy for plans and it is currently implementing certain large-scale plans, among them the one for adjusting subsidies.This paper seeks to focus on a system which highlights putting in place the pretexts for the feasibility of large-scale government plans. The researcher argues that to pave the grounds for the feasibility and efficiency of large-scale government plans, an approach of adherence to the possibility of changing public policymaking must be adopted alongside devising a transparent plan for progress and development and also a conceptualization of government which prioritizes its modesty in role, together with a system of policymaking founded upon the paradigm of governance.

This paper aims to address the obstacles of accession of Turkey to the European Union (EU). For this the paper discusses some obstacles in the way of Turkey's application to accede to the European Union that have caused delay in its membership in EU. The paper explains all the efforts that Turkey has made to achieve this goal, on one hand. On the other hand, considering all existing obstacles, it discusses why this goal has not achieved. According to the paper's findings, Turkey faces ten structural as well as political obstacles including: the progress of Human rights, the development of real democracy, the rights of ethnic and religious minorities, as well as other important issues. It seems that this country is far beyond ideals of European Union and has a long way to go.

This book makes abundantly clear the sustained freshness of Snyder path breaking and dauntingly original work, which has long set the agenda for the systematic explanation of foreign policy decisions. Thevery thoughtful essays prepared for the present volume demonstrate dramatically the continued centrality of the issues Snyder and his associates raised more than 40 years ago. Prescient in its focus on the effects on foreign policy of individuals and their preconceptions, organizations and their procedures, and cultures and their values, Foreign Policy Decision-Making is of continued relevance for anyone seeking to understand the ways foreign policy is made. in the end, addresses the evaluation and general explanation of the book and defense of essays in the area of Decision Making.