Strategic Studies Quarterly

Abstract 1404 Vision statement of I.R. Iran declares that Iran would be a developed country with the first economic, technological ranking in region, while continuing its inspiring Islamic and revolutionary identity in Islamic world, accompanied by constructive interaction in international relations. I.R. Iran as one of the important actors of south East Asia should plan and execute suitable foreign policy strategies to achieve its vision goals. This article, using David method (SWOT), analyses strengths, weak points, opportunities, and threats of I.R. Iran foreign policy and proposes some F.P. strategies to achieve vision goals.

Abstract the imposed war of Iraq against Iran is an ideal type of real national security threat and national defence. The main question is that: what lessons and experiences  we can learn from imposed war, especially it’s end, to use in  national defence? The hypothesis claims that imposed war and it’s end shows we need an even strategy based on goals and capabilities, and an accurate composition of military, political, economic and social power components. The lessons we can learn from imposed war are: comprehensive attitude, expert agency, national power and international power, expert knowledge, rational decision making and enthusiastic action, to value defence and avoid war.

Abstract In Public and Political Circles and even in most scientific debates, sometimes the concepts of doctrines, policy and strategy have been applied so intertwined and with close meanings that distinguishing between their conceptual and theoretical boundaries have become a foundamental problem. In fact, theoretical and conceptual interference and ambiguity between doctrine, policy and strategy is a considerable scientific issue that must be taken into account In this article, while establishing a connection between these concepts and the concept of security, there is an attempts toward designing a theoretical boundaries between them. Accordingly, the auther triees to reassess the assumptions regarding ambiguity of security concept and interference of boundaries of security studies. In this basis, it can be said that security is a theoretical context and denomination of doctrine, policy and strategy.

Abstract The purpose of paper does explore approaches of three generations of thinkers as three discourses in strategic culture. The strategic culture is used as an independent variable for explanting strategic behaviors at first. Appearing this conception in strategic behaviors has been meaning the acceptance of non- material and structural factors in analyzing it. In three decades made three discourses that all emphases on relationship between strategic culture and behavior, albeit reached the different conclusion from it.It is impossible in the first discourse analyzing the behavior without strategic culture, second one introduces the strategic culture as a means and instrument of running the strategy, the relationship between culture and strategic behavior in the third one does discuss strategic culture role in the context of strategic behavior.

Abstract It would be preciously necessity to examining more the essential constituent of nature of security studies inIran. In regard to the necessary and for focusing security conception or a sense of need to it and security studies in one side, and the difference between security studies in Iran and Iranian security studies in the other side, the paper is reviewing the history of shaping security studies in Iran so that finding and analyzing the problems and challenges in them. Security studies inIranfor being an independent realm need to emancipating from three dependencies such as the conceptually, the scientifically, the thoughtfully.

Abstract Categories of ideology and strategy independently was examined and defined in many works, but surveying the relationship of these categories didn't just adequate by current independent studies. For acute comparison between ideological and strategic view, it is necessity to explore their historical origins, their whole characteristics and functions and also responding the any non- academic prejudice about them. In this article by examining of the historical, the conceptual, the functional, of each category, it is criticizing the dichotomy of definitions of them that in the one side ideology is defined as idealism, morals, changeability, emotionalism, false consciousness, and non-cognitive view and the other side strategy is introduced as realism, ethical impartiality, verification, rationality, true consciousness and scientific knowledge.

Abstract Conceptual overlapping among security, politics and strategy was ever caused to meaning uncertainty of security studies and its dependency to political, strategic and international relations studies, too. Here, for transparency and solving of this conceptual overlapping, author is trying to be taking under questioning the presuppositions of strategic, political and international relations studies such as likeness of concept of security and security studies, coming in to existence of security after politics, strategy and international relations, and to be more limited scope of security studies. Besides the reviewing these presuppositions, this article, by genealogy perspective, is trying to evidence the boundaries of the security studies related to political, strategic and international relations realm, and representing the evolution of it.

Abstract The relationship between security, politics and strategy has frequently been subject to academic debates and the demarcation of boundaries among these concepts and the contours of their study areas are the result of such academic debates and contentions. In this article, the author examines the historical grounds of change in the aforementioned concepts and analyzes their mutual relationship according to four traditional, meta-traditional, modern and postmodern discourses in order to explain part of ambiguities and complexities of the concept of security. Indeed, dependence of the security concept on concepts of politics and strategy and the overlapping of security studies area with areas of political and strategic studies – as the fundamental assumption in the existing literature of security studies – is challenged in the writing. In answering the question of what relationship exists between the concept of security and concepts of politics and strategy in terms of time sequence, the author tests the hypothesis that there is no time sequence between the concepts of security, politics and strategy and that historical-discursive change in such concepts indicates their coincidence.

Abstract The fact that theories find different positions when they are linked with power turning them into strategy leads us to make a distinction between the status of practice and the status of theory. On this basis, in this article the author examines the strategic aspect of Imam Ali's (Peace be upon him) security theory after he assumed responsibility of administering the affairs of the Islamic society. In so doing, he proposes an analytical framework based on distinction between the idea of security and the organization of security. On this ground, he views "the power-oriented nature of security" and "secularization of security" as two serious harms inflicting the security strategy in the Islamic society. This is the reason why the Alavi government's security strategy becomes institutionalized in response to these two harms and refers to the "eradication of power from security" and "making security religious” so that security finds its deserved meaning and status.In an article series on the Islamic theory of security, the author tries in this article to present certain evidence that indicate the determination of Imam Ali to restrict the sphere of the presence of power in the definition of security and liberate the capacities of the Sharia for the establishment of security in the Islamic society