Strategic Studies Quarterly

Abstract This article tries to discuss status of justice and dialogue in practices of international security. The main question is that “how can dialogue make a more just international security? Realism, liberalism and constructivism can explain the status of dialogue. The process of globalization and emergence of fundamentalism has entered dialogue into theory and practice. In other words, dialogue and globalization have mutual relationship, which means that globalization could strengthen dialogue and dialogue helps globalization process.  From other point of view, dialogue and justice in practice through communicative action and tolerance which are based on rationality, can exclude fundamentalism.  This article first reviews genealogy of dialogue and justice then explains their status in international security using international theories. The last section explores this article’s relation with globalization and fundamentalism.

Abstract In recent years china has been an important actor in world affairs and tries to use diplomacy to achieve its goals. While, china focuses on public diplomacy because of its negative image near world public opinion that consider China as an economic threat. China in the way to improve its negative image works on public perception and tries to influence various nations to change its negative image and reconstruct its identity.

Abstract By Occurrence of a/11/u. s put the Reform in middle east countries in its Agenda in the form of Greater middle east plan. This plan Was applied in us foreign policy in 2002 with a Social appearance but a deep political & security reality, Ignorance of the Planners of greater middle east policy about Societal factors in the region, had a great part in its failure Recent upheaval's in middle east Which are caused by Islamic awakening in Arabic region, are outcomes of that failure one of the Causes of success & continuity of people's presence in the scene of protests, is the indigenous & original Nature of middle eastern developments & non – involvement of international forces in this upheavals.Bahrainis one of the main fronts of Islamic Awakening & this article tries to focus on it.

Abstract This paper focuses on developments of the concept of humanitarian intervention through the prism of theories of International Relations. Humanitarian intervention as a rule is a difficult experiment for the international community which is mainly based on principals of sovereignty, non–intervention and not to use of force.  With the globalization of human rights and paying special attention to prohibition of genocide, torture and breach of basic human rights, this humanitarian principal is in conflict with the principals of sovereignty and non– intervention. In the mean time, this concept has experienced a deep change prior to and after the Cold War era. Here, first the concept of intervention is addressed with using the theories of Realism and Liberalism. Then, while using the theory of Constructivism, the concept of humanitarian intervention, as a normative, value-based and international rule is discussed and finally the development of the concept of humanitarian intervention is illustrated, as a whole, in International Relations.

Abstract Alexander Vent as a distinguished constructivist thinker does argue that the problems of the scholars of international relations and the political scientists were just be understanding of global politics and power distribution without thinking about what constructed the global system and how it organized. Vent by reviewing the current schools of the international relations field is criticizing the neo – realism so that it is important but by focus on individualism and materialism is imperfect. That is paying more attention on decision makers without any mentioning on social structures that shapes the individuals. Crucial critique of Vent is deal with materialistic views of neo – realism as an objective willing and properties. Here the main hypothesis of the article by exploring the political from the constructivist view is that the political actors do often pursuit to substitute recognition on power (in the neo – realism) and wealth (in the neo – liberal view).

Abstract Efforts at preserving the identity are an important chapter in theorizting in international relations. Turning the preservation of identity into the agenda of foreign policy and strategic studies is largely derived from a wave whose extent of action is transnational and global. In the meantime, a new theory has been proposed by Barry Buzan and Ole Waever that regards the national and global analysis of national security as distorted and responsible for widespread insecurity which has entangled the today’s world. Criticizing the realist and globalist analyses, which stress on national and global roots of insecurity and instability, they have focused upon the regional complex of most of strategic equations. According to this theory, the countries of the world must be classified in six security complexes and then the problems of every region or system are theorized. This article mainly addresses the principles of the “theory of regional complex security” and its results in the strategic studies field. The most significant characteristic of this theory is that it holds theoretical relevance for regional powers (like Iran) because of their old identity, historical continuity and the capacity of producing patterns. It also views globalist and nationalist theories as minimalist.

Abstract International relations field is crafted to study interactions among the states and to explain and to predict their conducts. Perhaps this is the reason why some have described international relations theory as the theory of relations among the states. What is discussed in international relations includes a wide range of varying subjects comprising of the states’ foreign policies within the international system, international organizations, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and multinational companies, proliferation of nuclear weapons, environmental questions, nationalism, international political economy and issues related to economic development and human rights all of which have a bearing on the state.   The state, if not as the single actor rather as one of the most important concepts in international relations, possesses a critical status in the discipline’s theories, and it has passed considerable transformations. All of the international relations theories have dealt with the subject and each of them presents its particular outlook on the nature, domain, range of activity and power of the state,Considering the fundamental assumptions of each of the international relations theories, this article examines the concept of state and its change in a variety of theories in this discipline.

Abstract Constructivism is one of the recent approaches in social sciences and in the analysis of political trends which sits in the middle of rationalist and post-modern approaches. Those who believe in this approach, claim that constructivism can set off the deficiencies found in the two other approaches in the understanding and explanation of national and international policies. That is to say that constructivism links the capabilities of each of these two approaches and eliminates the theoretical conflict present between them.   This article examines these capabilities and conflicts in detail and describes different branches of constructivism including the modern and post-modern ones. Moreover, it explains the critique made by constructivist thinkers like Alexander Vent and Kratochville on realism and post-structuralism.   The author continues to analyze international politics and the foreign policies of nations from a constructivist perspective and scrutinizes the possibility of extracting a foreign policy theory only from the international politics theory in this approach. Finally, the author is of the belief that since constructivism replaces the instrumental rationality with the proportionality logic, takes advantage of both the neo-real and neo-liberal levels of analysis and considers the interests and objectives of the states subject to the states’ norms and identities and their changes. It is more objective, more scientific and more successful than post-modern and critical approaches in analyzing political events and developments, and can bring about political order and stability in practical realm as well.

Abstract Constructivist approach is among the recent approaches in social studies and international relations and nowadays efforts are made in order to examine the major issues of international politics including foreign policies of the states by using this approach. On this basis, unlike rationalist theories such as neo-realism and neo-liberalism which are based on rational choice theory, constructivism holds that the interests of actors and states, which regulate their conduct in foreign policy, are changing and in the process of construction. Change in them hinges on the change in the norms influential in political culture and identities of these actors. On this ground, mental milieus and their transformations such as the way leaders understand the international system, the states’ identity parameters, norms of the international system and moral issues shape the continuities and changes in this area rather than increased military power (in realism) or economic strength (in liberalism) are conducive to the states’ foreign conduct in the realm of international politics. Within this framework, this article argues that certain behaviors of the Islamic Republic of Iran in foreign policy are not compatible with rationalist and materialistic notions of interests, hence it seeks to analyze the Islamic Republic of Iran’s foreign policy from the constructivist perspective.

Abstract On the eve of the new century, security especially in European countries has received new significance and extended areas compared to traditional perception namely military security. This change mainly means that other areas of social and political relations have gained significance in security terms. On this basis, the development of security concept does not indicate the extension of military dimension to other spheres of international relations but signifies the flexibility of hardcore of security toward the new forms and dimensions of security-building. That is to say, the enlargement of the domain of security concept’s purview is a theoretical transformation which has occurred following international developments including the fall of the bipolar system and the end of the Cold War and has been founded upon the relationship between new concepts like soft security and security core. Conclusively, military aspect of security constitutes the hardcore of this concept and particular arenas of security like environmental security have surrounded it and made it flexible. Within this context, this article argues that a pluralist and broad interpretation of security concept takes shape according to communicative action and covers in its agenda questions like the scope of security, subject of security, agent of security and interpreter of security.