JOURNAL OF DEFENSE POLICY
Year:2016 | Volume:24 | Issue:2 (94)|Papers Count:7

The Islamic Republic of Iran needs to be capable in the area of foreign policy in order to be able to achieve the objectives delineated in its upstream documents. Achieving a higher regional status as the number-one power of the world as one of the objectives delineated in the Twenty-Year Outlook of the Islamic Republic of Iran requires Iran to be capable in software power. For this purpose, the present article tries to address Iran's soft power in the area of foreign policy, and also to scrutinize the 1404 Outlook Document as one of I.R.I's upstream documents. The main question is "What are the parameters of foreign policy that have an effect on the soft power of the Islamic Republic of Iran?" Library studies method and qualitative content analysis method are used to analyze the Twenty-Year Outlook Document. The main hypothesis in this article is "the parameters related to IRI's foreign policy in the Twenty-Year Outlook Document have a reliable and deep relation with the increased soft power in the Iranian community in the horizon delineated. Also, the parameters like being inspiring; having an active presence in the international relations; having an effect upon regional convergence and the Islamic world; and abiding by principles like dignity and expediency in the area of foreign policy can improve Iran's soft power through increasing the legitimacy of the political system on the international scene, preserving the international prestige, directing the public opinion, and help the Iranian community in the path of the realization of the ideals and principles contained in the Twenty-Year Outlook Document of the Islamic Republic of Iran.

The Idea of security complex is a modern concept in security studies aimed specifically at studying the dilemma of security within security complexes. With this in mind, we should study the construction of security complexes and its characteristics in order to deeply study national and regional security. After the completion of that study, individualistic and collectivist security constructs are formed in order for the internal construction of security complexes to boost common interests or threats. Each of the above-mentioned constructs cover particular consequences in the security complexes, affecting regional and national security in two forms: Securitization and desecuritization. The present article plans to study the construction of security complexes upon regional security.

Defense and security is a most important issue which enjoys a specific status in social and political studies, including Imam Khomeini who, among the outstanding thinkers, has produced statements and views, and set out to explain the concept and function of security and defense by covering subjects on Kalam (science of discourse) and Figh (Islamic jurisprudence). Most of Imam Khomeini's viewpoints on this field can be observed in his arguments put forward on political Figh. From Imam Khomeini's viewpoint, security in personal domain is directly intermingled with security in social domain, and are supplementary. In other words, personal security, which is a function of peoples' feelings, equals social security in its collective form. Off course, continued public life is the same as social and social life, in that people's security and the society's security form a continuity. When security, both in personal and social terms, faces different dangers and threats, the issue of defense is put forward. The present article tries discuss the issue of security and defense in relation with guarding the foundations of the Islamic Republic of Iran as viewed by Imam Khomeini, using the descriptive-content analysis method. The related information has been collected using the library and digital method. In the next stage, it begins to analyze Imam Khomeini's viewpoints in relation to defense and security relying on the data discussed above. One can state, from Imam Khomeini's statements, that defense is considered as a philosophical and realistic mechanism, which means repelling enemy and providing effective deterrence supplies, and constitutes as a critical and foundational rule. It follows that thinking, as viewed by Islam's foundations of defense thought, is deemed to be among the primary preparations for formulating the affairs related with the Islamic society and providing security. In other stages the way optimal solutions can be found on the issue of defense becomes important.

Turkey is a country of geopolitical and geostrategic importance, which didn’t give any considerable attention towards the Middle East before the Justice and Development Party came to power. However, as the party came to power, Turkey played an active role in the region in line with the "zero problem" policy. Although Turkey tried to bring to zero level the problems with neighbors after the Syrian crisis started, it adopted a complicated position ranging from mediation trough supporting the opposition to struggling to topple Bashshar Asad. Having been carried out with descriptive-analytical method, this research intends to develop a praxeology of Turkey in the Syrian crisis in light of the doctrine of strategic depth. The findings of this research explain three types of behaviors-namely, mediating, creating a Muslim Brotherhood belt, playing a role in the West's puzzle to contain Iran and the Axis of Resistance in in order to its strategic depth.

Today, globalization together with development in other areas of human life, has caused change in the nature and forms of power and increased the effect of soft power on the process of countries' foreign policy, in a way that software power has paved the way for the appearance of regional and intermediate actors on the scene of international relations. As a part of this process, the deep division between the many potentials and the few achievements of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the area of soft power due to the lack of a domestic model to apply this concept in the country's foreign policy on the one hand, and countering the hegemonic and descriptive perception of soft power in its Western sense on the other have caused the author to try to set the conditions for the country to benefit from the software functions of power through providing a "resource-based domestic model" of soft power and "applying it in IRI's" foreign policy.

The Middle East developments cause various state and non-state actors to be engaged in a conflict. These actors have caused the continuance of the crisis in the region with various and even conflicting objectives, positions, ideology and behavior. Non-state actors form Islamist groups to Takfiri and terrorist movements on the one hand, and regional and trans-regional state actors on the other, make their own efforts to put an end to the power struggle in their own benefit. What preoccupies the political analyst's mind is that "What kind of outlook does exist for regional peace and stability, considering the actors' differing interests and wishes? In this process, it is important to understand the objectives and activity of various actors as the main variable effective on the current instabilities in the region and to analyze the scope of stability and peace in West Asia (Middle East) as the Independent variable. Using the theory of regional peace and war, this article argues that although the trans-regional great powers have a notable role and efficacy in the crisis-stricken regions of West Asia, the roots and backgrounds of violence and tension are essentially regional. Therefore, it is far from possible to prevent hot war, and establish armed peace in West Asia relying merely on trans-regional actors' activity and will. However, the role played by trans-regional actors is effective at best in the form of creating cold war and/or cold peace. Additionally, considering the existent struggles between the regional powers, it is rather difficult for regional cold war to translate into cold peace.

Today, one reason for the global focus on the subject of sustainable development, environment and natural resources destruction in light of the doctrines of the capitalist system is based on profit maximization. That human beings have become more careful in dealing with the nature, and strive to formulate environmental ethics accounts for the reason why their trust to the power of technology has become faltering these days. A study of the Islamic texts shows that those texts are rich in terms of the directions issued on how to properly deal with the nature without going to any kind of extremes. However, negligence on the part of Muslim scholars has caused westerners to claim to formulate environmental ethics, and even, to introduce religion as a factor that motivates man to destroy nature, though they themselves are the principal factor in destroying the nature. On the other side, inside our country, part of the authorities involved in managing the affairs related to development of the country, are not practically obsessed with protecting the environment, hence causing natural resources losses. The aim of this research is to provide a strategic theory on environmental security. The methodology in this article is content analysis using Grounded theory. The result of this research will be that valid deductive reasoning concepts and data are translated into theory. Achieving an optimal theory comprising generalizable concepts and data will be possible only through considering theoretical foundations, and observing environmental ethics, and public culture-building along with deterring rules, a pure and sustainable environment. This constitutes as a strategic theory and a successful outcome in the area of environmental security.