Comparative Analysis of Triple Threats; Hard, Semi Hard and Soft Threats

Classification of the threats according to their different components and index is an appropriate method to understand them. Threat classification unveils its different angles and dimensions and helps to estimate threats, to make policy and to develop a doctrine and strategies to deal with it. A type of classification which has been considered especially in I.R. Iran during the recent years is classification of threats based on "methods of applying the threat and its consequences.” Therefore, threats to national security is divided into, hard, semi hard and soft threats. This kind of classification is made to explain West’s soft war on Iran and according to country’s necessities. Most military experts, introduce the security and cultural threats during the first decade of revolution, the decade of security (semi-hard) and military (hard) threats and the beginning of the third decade simultaneous with cultural - social threats (soft threats). In this paper, it has been tried to do a comparative study among triple threat- hard, semi hard and soft threats- by measures such as nature, characteristics, goals, tools, methods and consequences. This kind of classification can help to explain and to identify current threats against the country.