1
Assistant Professor of Political Science, Faculty of Humanities, Yasouj University
2
Master student of European Regional Studies, Allameh Tabatabai University of Tehran
10.22034/srq.2024.442888.4143
Abstract
Since the Islamic Revolution, especially from the 1990s onwards, Iran has consistently sought to utilize cultural, political, military and economic connections to establish its presence and influence in the Balkans. However, with Kosovo's independence and the relative resolution of the 200-year-old crisis, the nature of the political space in the Balkans has transformed. Changes in the regional political environment and the emergence of a new dynamic space have led to shifts in the domestic political landscape of regional actors as well as changes in the composition and priorities of transregional actors present in it. In this article, we aim to answer the question: What opportunities and threats did Iran's foreign policy face in the Balkans during 2008-2023 within the new dynamic space? Findings indicate that Iran, given the expansion of NATO and the European Union among Balkan states in the post-conflict space, has been unable to leverage its military and economic tools to increase its influence. Therefore, it has relied on cultural ties and pursued a specific cultural diplomacy, utilizing strategies such as leveraging the presence of Muslims in the region, increasing the influence of the Persian language, and at some point capitalizing on leftist political anti-hegemony tradition in the Balkans. It has utilized these opportunities to enhance economic exchanges with countries in the region. Here, with a strategic planning approach, the SWOT model has been used to identify and analyze these opportunities and challenges.
Fattahizadeh, A., & Ardam, S. M. (2024). Iran and the Balkans in the Post-Conflict Space (2008-2023). Strategic Studies Quarterly, (), -. doi: 10.22034/srq.2024.442888.4143
MLA
Abouzar Fattahizadeh; Seyed mohammad Ardam. "Iran and the Balkans in the Post-Conflict Space (2008-2023)". Strategic Studies Quarterly, , , 2024, -. doi: 10.22034/srq.2024.442888.4143
HARVARD
Fattahizadeh, A., Ardam, S. M. (2024). 'Iran and the Balkans in the Post-Conflict Space (2008-2023)', Strategic Studies Quarterly, (), pp. -. doi: 10.22034/srq.2024.442888.4143
VANCOUVER
Fattahizadeh, A., Ardam, S. M. Iran and the Balkans in the Post-Conflict Space (2008-2023). Strategic Studies Quarterly, 2024; (): -. doi: 10.22034/srq.2024.442888.4143
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