STRATEGIC STUDIES OF PUBLIC POLICY (STRATEGIC STUDIES OF GLOBALIZATION JOURNAL)
Year:2015 | Volume:6 | Issue:15 (18) |Papers Count:8

Role and functions of information and communication technology (ICT) as the center of much of the global evolutions is undeniable. Information and communication technology is advancing at a great pace and all countries are trying by comprehensive and prospective planning, to provide grounds for ICT development index and take important steps to improve their ranking and the development of the information society. After two World Summits on Information Society, the proximity or remoteness to the information society and utilization extent of ICT are known as criteria for the development of countries and various regions of the world. Today, according to Iran's 20-year outlook plan's goal that is gaining scientific and technological first position in the region of the South West Asia and also ten years after the Second World Summit and the end of the ten year deadline to develop ICT in developing countries, Iran should assess its position in the field of ICT. This article seeks to find out what is the position of Iran in the field of development and implementation of information society, in the world and the region? In other words, what results have been achieved by actions taken in this regard? The research employing the comparative method, revealed that Iran with the score of 4. 29 ranks 94 among other countries. Despite Iran's policies for ICT development, it currently ranks ninth among eleven countries in the Middle East and this means a big gap to achieve the first position in 2025. Assessment of Iran’ s ICT development indices revealed a descending trend during the past ten years compared with other countries.

One of the most important issues in Iran-US studies is to understand the US approach towards the Islamic Republic of Iran. In seeking to find an answer to the question why Iran and US are not inclined to normalize their relations, mostly the Islamic Republic has been at the receiving end of the criticisms. The current paper maintains a critical view on US foreign policy during Clinton and Bush presidencies coinciding with Khatami administration (1997-2005) to challenge that argument. The paper concludes that the main problem in normalization of ties goes back to the imperialistic policy of the United States to approach relations with the Islamic Republic through a framework that, here, we can call it ‘ pessimistic ideology. ’ In explaining this approach, we first deliver a theoretical framework on how US foreign policy towards the Islamic Republic of Iran is shaped. Then, we explain US foreign policy in that period. The paper, finally, concludes some patterns of the US ideological policy to describe its inconsistency in relation with the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Globalization has expedited the developments in communication and information technology and use of these technologies and easy access to them has transformed international conditions. These structural and substantive changes in international system have changed general diplomacy to an instrument by means of which governments can achieve their national goals in their relations with other countries and also at international stage. Directing public opinion, role of visual, audio and written media having international audience, impact of immigration, internationalization of thoughts and ideas, expanding role of NGOs, exchange of cultures, movements and easy communication among elites, involvement of civil society in political-international affairs, and globalization of cultures are among fields that general diplomacy can rely on and unify them to influence people’ s minds and government policies. This paper aims at studying general diplomacy as an effective instrument in foreign policy through four sections. First, it studies the effects and consequences of recent global changes in diplomacy. Second, the concept of general diplomacy and its difference with official (traditional) diplomacy, publicity, and domestic policy are studied. Third, dimensions and practical fields of this phenomenon in foreign relations of countries, and at the end the effects and roles of general diplomacy in foreign policy are explained and analyzed.

In this article we will seek the changing of relations between governors and the governed in Iran. Before the nineteenth century, ethical interaction based on justice was the most predominant feature of the Iranian politics and governance. From this perspective, people merely were governed and their political identification was an affectation of their kings’ practices. King’ s political acts were the whole of political act and people as subjects were the matter for their king’ s behaviors. So, the king was the greatest shepherd who spread his grace as an ethical-preexistencial duty (or mission) in the country, because his grace was the appendix of God’ s grace. In the nineteenth century, this predominant approach was influenced by the new evolutions of the west and revealed a different type of power exercising. These changes shifted the relations between the governor and the governed so that they expanded people (citizens) participation in the social and political sphere.

The world has always witnessed the rise and fall of great powers and the significance of the study of power shifts is due to their relevance to war, peace and security of international system. According to Charles Doran and Dylan Kissane’ s Power Cycles theory, the role of a country is enhanced parallel with its power enhancement, otherwise it may lead to unpleasant upheavals in international arena. On the other hand, the balance between power and role would lead to international peace and stability. In this paper, the main question is how would the ranking of great powers be changed by 2025 and what political-security implications would it have for Iran? The analysis will focus on the US, China, India and Russia. China has become a great power with her economic takeoff. Yet the US will continue to remain superior among the superpowers thanks to its military power and political willingness. China will assist Iran to secure her economic power and enable it to mitigate the US pressures by 2025. The methodology employed in this article is analytic-comparative in which the predictions are based on statistical methods and time series. Here, the library and Internet resources as well as related statistical analysis software (Minitab &SPSS) have been used as research tools.

One of the fundamental measures in the cultural – artistic development of each society is the strategic attitude towards artistic luminaries as one of the fundamental instances and components of cultural globalization to interact with the world. Master Mahmoud Farshchian, the celebrated and famous figure of Iranian painting and carpet design, is one of the great artistic luminaries who holds a global position. According to Robertson, while each civilization and nation has universal features and is in harmony with global changes, it should not neglect its particular arts and heritage and manage both with a fundamental and strategic view. This paper, employing descriptive-analytical method, studies the style, works and commitment of master Farshchian in addition to looking at his strategic role in Iran’ s cultural and artistic development in the globalization era. Library and field studies along with a comprehensive approach of the researcher to all sources related to master Farshchian, also considering all his published and unpublished works, it is concluded that he plays a major role in convergence and rapprochement of Iran’ s art and culture with other civilizations.

The efforts that have been done by International Powers to make strategic changes in Middle East did not stop by failure of Greater Middle East Initiative, this strategic approach continued within new forms like putting curb on Arabic Revolutions or management of them, naked regime change by military intervention and etc. this new interventionist approach utilizes claims like human rights, protection of civilians against their so-called illegal regimes, making fabricated and makeshift oppositions, and providing support to pro separation forces from mainland. The idea of humanitarian intervention and “ responsibility to protect” are amongst doctrines that exploited by west to intervene in Middle Eastern and African countries like Syria, Iraq, and Libya. The idea of Responsibility to protect was mentioned in the report of International Commission on Intervention and Sovereignty and in 2005 it was admitted officially in annual summit of General Assembly. In 2006, the theory of R to P was reiterated by 1674 and 1706 UNSC resolutions, also in January 2012, UN secretary General Ban Ki Moon put emphasize on the this emerging theory. This article is about to make elaboration on conceptual and theoretical aspects of theory according to international treaties, international customary law, UNSC resolutions, UN secratery general statements, practice of states. The authors do believe that this doctrine shape new form of interventionism and will be resorted as an instrument to make regime change within unfavorable regimes including Syria. Despite the fact that disagreement of UNSC has been made illegal any sort of intervention in Syria.

This article presents a cultural convergence model in Iran. Iran’ s cultural diversity and the encounter between globalization phenomenon and Iranian culture are the two basic necessities in designing the cultural convergence model as the optimum cultural management model in Iran. The method employed in the research was descriptive-survey and a questionnaire having 70 questions was the data collection instrument. The statistical sample included 22 Ph. D. graduates of cultural management and planning. The reason for selecting this sample was their scientific and cultural expertise in management and cultural planning. Cultural convergence, is the most effective approach in managing the impacts of cultural diversity and based on the results of this research a model having four dimensions and eight components was designed as cultural convergence model in Iran. These dimensions and components included strategic dimension (clear common cultural goals, effective cultural leadership), social dimension (commitment to common cultural goals, social trust), cultural dimension (intracultural communications, intercultural dialogue), and skill dimension (cultural intelligence and cultural creativity). Furthermore, the effective factors and their significance in creating and development of cultural convergence and divergence were specified.