Iran's Cultural Heritage in the “Soft Power” Arsenal of the Islamic Republic of Iran

«Soft power» is a set of activities designed by a government or regional and international actors aimed to influence external public opinion, promote external image or attract support for a particular policy, which is implemented through all the available tools and new technologies. The non-governmental actors also play an effective and important role in this diplomacy. Considering the public diplomacy and soft power of the Islamic Republic of Iran as a deliberate and conscious approach can be of great importance in the country's grand strategies that will strengthen national interests in the domestic sphere and influence them at regional and global levels. The article analyzes the role of Iran’s soft power in confronting Iranophobia. The study is aimed at presenting a theoretical definition of public diplomacy and soft power in foreign policy and international system, and then examines its role in the foreign policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran with an emphasis on confronting Iranophobia.The authors answer the research question: “What is the role of soft power in the foreign policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in confronting Iranophobia?” The research method is descriptive-analytical based on historical evidence, documents, and analytical issues of theorists, authors, and media being expressed in the theoretical framework of soft power. The paper is based on a synthesis of Stephen Walt’s “balance of threat” theory with Alexander Wendt’s social constructivism to explain the Iranian “threat” in American foreign policy.The findings of this research show that without the use of force and disturbing the balance in the international relations, using a variety of tools and instruments the Iranian public diplomacy and soft power might be effective to reduce the global and regional atmosphere of Iranophobia and undermine anti-Iranian solidarity.

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THE "SOFT POWER" OF CULTURAL DIPLOMACY OF THE ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN

Bulletin of the Moscow State Regional University (History and political science) ◽

10.18384/2310-676x-2017-2-46-55 ◽

2017 ◽

pp. 46-55

Author(s):

Konstantin P. Kurylev ◽

Maksim A. Nikulin ◽

Anastasia A. Goncharova

Keyword(s):

Soft Power ◽

Cultural Diplomacy ◽

Islamic Republic ◽

Islamic Republic Of Iran

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Iran’s Aid Diplomacy in Afghanistan: The Role of Imam Khomeini Relief Committee

Contemporary Review of the Middle East ◽

10.1177/2347798918795369 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 5 (4) ◽

pp. 308-326 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Abdol Moghset Bani Kamal ◽

Wahabuddin Ra’ees

Keyword(s):

Soft Power ◽

Belief System ◽

Islamic Republic ◽

Poor Countries ◽

Highly Active ◽

Official Ideology ◽

Islamic Republic Of Iran ◽

Charity Organization ◽

Relief Efforts

This study aims at examining the Islamic Republic of Iran’s “aid diplomacy” officially referred to as “support diplomacy” and focuses on the Imam Khomeini Relief Committee (IKRC), a charity organization which is functioning as the main vehicle. The IKRC is highly active in many poor countries and this study focuses on the activities, strategies, and achievements of the IKRC in Afghanistan. The study among others finds that Iran is using rigorous aid diplomacy to penetrate into the downtrodden layers of Afghan society. The foundational principles of the IKRC suggest that this institution is functioning in the direction of Ayatollah Khomeini’s doctrine of “Exporting the Revolution.” In line with this, the IKRC is tasked to nurture Afghan sympathizers for the Islamic Republic of Iran to enhance this country’s soft power in Afghanistan and the relief efforts are heavily influenced by its official ideology that is based on Shia belief system.

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The facilitating role of sport in foreign relations of the US and Iran

Estudos Internacionais Revista de Relações Internacionais da PUC Minas ◽

10.5752/p.2317-773x.2020v8n2p103-119 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 8 (2) ◽

pp. 103-119

Author(s):

Amirhosein Monazami

Keyword(s):

United States ◽

Foreign Relations ◽

Soft Power ◽

The United States ◽

Islamic Republic ◽

National Unity ◽

Western Countries ◽

Islamic Republic Of Iran ◽

Four Levels ◽

Spearman Test

The soft power of the Islamic Republic of Iran, after fourteen years of it’s revolution, has been influenced by various macro and micro concepts that have been repeatedly challenged by Western countries, especially the United States; So, Islamic Republic of Iran, in light of recent years' successes in the international field of sports, including seventeenth among the 206 countries in the Olympic 2012 can use this capacity to expand its interactions in the international arena. The purpose of the present study was initially to explore the concepts of strengthening Iran's soft power through sport and to design a favorable paradigm for the development of diplomatic relations with Western countries, especially the United States. Then, SPSS and PLS software were used to investigate the correlation between variables based on Spearman test, exploratory factor analysis and finally structural and interpretive modeling of independent and dependent variables. The findings showed that seven factors of economic development, religious flow, transformation and communication, cultural exchange, national unity, political currents and peacebuilding were in four levels influenced by Iran's international sporting environment.

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Presenting the proposed model of media soft power components to improve the combat capability of the Army of the Islamic Republic of Iran

Journal of Contemporary Issues in Business and Government ◽

10.47750/cibg.2021.27.02.093 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 27 (02) ◽

Keyword(s):

Soft Power ◽

Islamic Republic ◽

Proposed Model ◽

Islamic Republic Of Iran

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The Rising Shi’a Crescent: Iranian Smart Power and Implications for the Middle East, Central Asia, and the Persian Gulf

Carleton Review of International Affairs ◽

10.22215/cria.v3i0.120 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 3 ◽

Author(s):

Natalia Paunic

Keyword(s):

Middle East ◽

Soft Power ◽

Islamic Republic ◽

Smart Power ◽

East Central ◽

Hard Power ◽

Islamic Republic Of Iran ◽

The Persian Gulf ◽

Effective Use ◽

The Arab Spring

The circumstances of the American war in Iraq, the Arab Spring, and the international fight against Da’esh have provided an opportunity for the Islamic Republic of Iran to consolidate its power in the Middle East, as foretold by King Abdullah II of Jordan in his coining of the phrase “Shi’a crescent” in 2004. Iran’s successful resurgence can be attributed to its effective use of “smart power,” or the combination of soft and hard power tactics. Iran’s hard power, in the form of Shi’a militias and proxies, is supported with soft power tactics. These include Iran’s export of the ideals of the Revolution and its model of an Islamic Republic, its role as leader of the global Shi’ite community, and its investment in cultural diplomacy across the Middle East as well as its renewed engagement with the West.

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