Strategic Studies Quarterly

Abstract During the last decade, a lot of university disciplines, especially strategic and security studies, have acknowledged necessity of paying due attention to the issue of environment. However, these new studies are struggling with weaknesses in the field of methodology. So in order to fill the gap, the current paper reviews the concept of environment and its place within the academic disciplines and tries to offer an illustrative framework for the sake of studying environment in those fields. Therefore, the main purpose of the paper is to offering a methodological framework for environment studies. The general presumption of the paper is that realizing this purpose is possible and by combination of several approaches, including social science and concerns of security studies, one can establish the needed bases for methodological framework of environment studies.  

Abstract A lot of political theories have focused on criticism and so rejection of political systems while they have attempted to introduce new alternatives. Therefore, depleting the attitude and belief about legitimacy of a dominant system while introducing an ideal alternative, concurrent with creating a mind set on why, how and when to overthrow the previous system, is the main function of a political theory. Although the political thinkers are usually try to avoid challenging the political systems directly, their explanations typically cause a political disorder, as their statements about an ideal system lead the people to feel unhappy about the existing system. The author of this paper is of the view that given the difference between political ideology and political thought, they may lead to different approaches about overthrow or change in a political system.

Abstract The current paper aims at illustrating the relationship between culture and security within the system of Islamic Republic of Iran. In this way, the main issue to discuss is that how culture can shape security in a political system? To answer this question, the author states that culture is not an actor and its role in shaping security is done through discourses and generations. Based on the theoretical framework of this paper, security of a political system is a result of compatibility of cultural discourses governing the state, current generation and old generations and if these three are not compatible to each other instability and disorder can emerge consequently. For the author, this conceptual framework can easily explain the issue of security in the Islamic Republic of Iran and so he offers some proposals about policy making in the field of national security of the country.

Abstract The UNDP 1994 report introduced a new security approach called as “human security” that protects human being with all possible needs. Concurrent with this initiative and given the UNSC reaction against developments in Rwanda and Kosovo, the “responsibility to Protect” doctrine emerged as a new concept. Due to these new developments, the paper aims to answer the question that what the role of responsibility to protect is in ensuring human security? And whether the human security can be a proper base to realization of responsibility to protect?.

Abstract  With a lot of international treaties and bilateral agreements and national legislation, marine transportation is still not secured. In order to achieve successful record, those international treaties require a proper bed at which all member states should delineate their borders and join those treaties; but this is not the case at present. Marine safeguarding measures are of those quick responses to coupe the threats and dangers that sometimes push a given party to comply with the relevant obligations. These measures can be discussed either through legal or a military view. Marine safeguarding measures include actions established according to the law and is implemented on responsible authorities, ships, passengers and commodities that lack a criminal nature and they are done just to coupe a threat or make compliance with the relevant obligations in the area of territorial sea. 

Abstract  Given the modern achievements, analysis of new developments in the international arena require putting aside the traditional understanding and enjoying instead a knowledge of influential forces that are effective on dynamism, trends and results as well as introduction of new concepts.  In this way, the current paper reviews developments of the US foreign policy in the last two decades and the related theories about allocation of capabilities that are effective in shaping the poles of an international system; it also argues that, like in the past, in order to better understand the developments, it would be better to get to know the structure of poles in the international system; however, this is not enough and to achieve better understanding, one needs to know all influential new forces that affect dynamism, trends and results. To do so, the paper offers the idea of trans-pole concept according to which power is not bound to the old inter-governmental, limited and inflexible situation but enjoys some new aspects.