فصلنامه بین المللی ژئوپلیتیک
سال نوزدهم شماره 4 (پیاپی 72، Winter 2023)

And variable elements located in the territory of a geographical-political unit called a state. It is one of the most effective elements in the national power of states, their air power, and in counting the factors that influence this power. Although this issue has always been one of the concerns of experts and geopoliticians, no effective action has been taken so far. Expressing the air power quantitatively and ranking the states from this point of view is of great importance in the international system because the states can adopt appropriate strategies to pursue national goals at the global level when they are aware of their air power and that of other states.This article tries to address the influential factors in measuring the air power of states in two "structural" and "functional" dimensions, using the descriptive-analytical method. For this purpose, a questionnaire was distributed at the internal and external levels (a statistical population of 116 experts and specialists in military and civil aviation) to make it clear that the most important factors affecting the air power of the states are fighter aircraft, intelligence, unmanned aerial vehicles, communication and information systems, bombers, active airports, interceptor aircraft, transport aircraft, navigation systems, helicopters, purpose-built tanker aircraft, fuel production, capacity and quality of runways, training, detection and early warning radars, range of equipment, and multiplicity of products in the aviation industry, respectively.

Over millennia, many territories and countries have been attacked, intruded, captured, or divided. In this research, we debate surrounding the territories that have been lost in Iran (then Persia) over the past. No effort has been made to investigate such territorial claims despite historical knowledge gaps and uncertainties. As such, this first-ever data-driven paper undertook such investigation by digitising two maps prepared based on historical documents by a few well-known Iranian geographical and historical scholars. While we did not check the correctness of the boundaries drawn at that time, we strived to digitise boundaries using GIS methods with high precision. Those boundaries delineated old territories lost during the Qajar dynasty. It was revealed that the country lost a total land area between 1,827,160 km2 and 2,119,349 km2 during the 19th century.

As a result of to the colonial experience, there is very little overlap between geographical and identity boundaries in the Middle East countries. Most countries of the region like Iraq and Lebanon are a heterogeneous mix of different ethnicities, religions and races with a history of identical crises. This situation has led to the emergence and spread of sectarianism in society and the political structure of Middle Eastern countries. Hence, the political structure of Iraq and Lebanon has been consolidated based on the identical distribution of power in which each identity base assumes a share of power. An important issue is the inefficiency of the identity-based power distribution system. The key question, therefore, is: why is the political structure based on identical power distribution in Iraq and Lebanon inefficient? To answer this question, using a comparative method, the mechanism of power sharing referring formal documents and constitutions of the two countries, six indexes of political efficiency, and also the reasons of inefficiency has been analyzed.

This paper is going to assess the feasibility of the second wave of Arab revolutions in Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates. A decade after the beginning of the Arab revolutions, the question of the possibility of another wave of revolutions, especially in the Arabian Peninsula, is a serious question. Another question is what changes will take place in the geopolitics of the region in the event of the second wave of the Arab revolutions in the countries of the Arabian Peninsula? These questions are difficult to answer, but it is clear that the countries of the peninsula cannot be categorized as one. Transition in the global geopolitical structure, internal variables affecting the geopolitics of these countries, their different positions for world powers, the high volume of trade between the two countries with economic poles, the position of non-indigenous forces in these countries on the one hand and the intervention of foreign forces in the region and trans-regional power shifts on the other hand are all variables that determine the possibility or impossibility of revolution in these countries. Given these variables, the hypothetical answer is that revolution is unlikely in some Arabian Peninsula countries, but possible in others, including Saudi Arabia. In order to test the hypothetical answer, in this article we examine the variables that encourage and deter the revolution in Saudi Arabia and the UAE and evaluate the impact of each of them on geopolitical changes.

In order to draw the circle of power of actors in the metropolis of Tehran, we need to identify geopolitical actors in this metropolis. In the metropolis of Tehran, actors have different identities and beings, and may be government institutions or organizations, individuals or public communities, non-governmental organizations or private companies. In this study, SPSS, Friedman test and t-test are used to describe and analyze the data. The present study is based on two main questions. 1. who are the actors present in Tehran and which of the actors has the greatest impact on power relations in the metropolis? 2. What is the role of each of the actors (local, national and transnational) on power relations in the metropolis of Tehran? The results show that the political capital of Iran (Tehran metropolis) is managed by many organizations and institutions and no single organization is in charge of final decision-making. This is because each of these organizations has held a part of urban spaces and resources of Tehran metropolis with its power and manages those resources for the purpose of making profit.

Providing strategy in foreign policy orientation makes the following categories important: the necessity of correct and complete understanding and manipulating of national power and strength; the requirements and characteristics of the external environment, governing rule and pattern in a regional and international environment; recognizing the opportunities, environmental vulnerability, and existing threats and many other factors. Due to the geographical and cultural proximity of the two countries, as well as their neighborhood, the expansive relations between Iraq and Iran are very essential which lead to security establishment in the Middle East. This study's purpose is to show the capability/validity of the SWOT model used in the Islamic Republic of Iran foreign policy orientation field in Iraq post-Saddam. The main question is this, “based on SWOT analytical model, what and how appropriate strategies can be presented in the Islamic Republic of Iran foreign policy orientation in post-Saddam Iraq?” SWOT model is based on strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats in both internal and external dimensions. Developing strategies based on SWOT is the new point of the current article. The findings show that one successful tool in the Islamic Republic of Iran's foreign policy orientation and policy-making in post-Saddam Iraq is a realistic understanding of Iraq's current situations. Proper analysis of opportunities, threats, and the associated strengths and weaknesses can determine Iran’s foreign policy orientation towards its fundamental and defined interests.

Since the beginning of the Arab Spring in the Middle East, the region has undergone major changes, with regional and transnational powers shifting their foreign policy orientations based on their national interests. Meanwhile, Iran and Russia, as two major players, have focused on these developments. Therefore, using this Kinderman's Neorealism theory, the authors of the article seek to answer the question of what was the role of Iran and Russia in the Middle East region. The main hypothesis is that given the geopolitical developments, the strategic importance of the region, the tensions between Iran and the US in the Strait of Hormuz, the recent withdrawal of US forces from Syria, Iran and Russia as Regional Powers in the Middle East have played a key role to integrate their interest and deter U.S, in the Middle East. Indeed, the results show that Iran and Russia disagree in some areas, but given recent crises in the region, Trump's withdrawal from a nuclear deal with Iran and the imposition of more sanctions, opposed to unilateralism lead these two countries to cooperate politically and militarily to prevent influence of U.S in the region. The research method in this research is descriptive-analytical.

This study aims to investigate the role of Iran's geopolitical power in aligning and normalizing relations between the United Arab Emirates and Israel. The findings show that Iran's growing power and threats in the Middle East geopolitics over the past decade have played an important role in normalizing UAE-Israel relations. Although the convergence and unification of the two countries have been done for the purpose of power balancing, the UAE, due to the lack of serious and immediate security threats, simply out of concern for Iran's hegemony and growing power in the region, aims to establish a policy of closeness with Israel. This is correlated to the fact that the Zionist regime has felt a severe and immediate security threat due to the increase in regional power, as well as Iran's influence near its borders and the rise of the Resistance Front over the past decade, and thus aimed at creating a balance of threat against Iranian threats, therefore striking alliance with the Gulf states, including the UAE, has become a foreign policy priority.

Robbery is considered as one of the human crimes which has a long history in different societies. This phenomenon underwent many changes over time; however, the only thing which remained constant since its emergence is its ugly and heinous nature. In this regard, the present study aimed to evaluate the role of climate and its changes in the spatial distribution of the crime of robbery in the urban level of Isfahan Province. After obtaining the statistical yearbook of Isfahan Province in the form of SWARA, ARAS, and cluster analysis multi-index techniques, the data related to the crime of robbery among the cities in Isfahan Province were weighted, ranked, and clustered. Pearson correlation coefficient and linear regression were used to measure the relationship between robbery and three parameters of elevation, temperature, and precipitation which its maps were prepared through Kriging method in ArcGIS Software. The results of SWARA technique indicated that the robbery of the in-car accessories weighting 0.170 ranked first and the robbery from public buildings weighting 0.085 ranked last. The results of the ARAS Technique indicated that Chadegan city ranked first based on the robbery, Fereydounshahr ranked second, Semirom city ranked third and Naien city ranked fourth. The results of Pearson correlation coefficient and linear regression indicated that there is a significant correlation between crime occurrences in the urban level of Isfahan Province and elevation, temperature and precipitation. Considering the three parameters of elevation, temperature, and precipitation, most of the crime was committed in the southern and western parts of Isfahan Province (i.e., Semirom, Daran, Fereidounshahr and Khansar). The central and northern parts of Isfahan Province (i.e. Ardestan, Kashan, Mobarakeh and Khor cities) had the least rate of the crime of robbery.

Trump’s nationalist-populist narrative is certainly appealing when discussed in a new-institutionalism tradition perspective sociologically in particular. The value, in this case, refers to the right wing leaning on the borderline of white supremacy who wish to be brought back by Trump through his remarkable slogan: “Make America Great Again”. The article is based on the perspective of new-institutionalism tradition. The purpose of this paper is to analyze Trump’s winning strategy as a political actor in the political institution, how it is based on values that are socially constructed or culturally framed. During the work, the perspective of new-institutionalism tradition, qualitative approach and secondary data were used. The authors adopt a qualitative approach and use secondary data. The conclusions were made about Trump’s various controversial strategies in the US Presidential Election 2016 that were caused by the populist narratives he adopted in the campaign. The results obtained can be useful for political scientists, GR-managers, PR-managers in the field of politics, political technologists, and other related specialists.

In the last half-century, Iran has emerged as a regional power in the Middle East. One of the indicators of a country's regional power is regional custodianship that includes fighting intra-regional threats, such as terrorism. The aim of the current paper is to study Iranian Foreign Policy approach on fighting terrorism. Confronting terrorist groups in the Middle East has been one of the major aspects of Iran's foreign policy under two different political regimes. The Iranian government's struggle with the Dhofar Liberation Front (DLF) in Oman during the Pahlavi era and the fight against the Taliban terrorist group in Afghanistan and ISIS in Iraq and Syria can be seen as examples of this inter-regional struggle after Islamic revolution. Using David Rapoport (2004) and Robert Stewart's theory (2012), the paper seeks to investigate Iran’s foreign policy stance on fighting terrorism in West Asia. The main question of this article is How have the waves of international terrorism, effected Iran's regional foreign policy in the Middle East over the past half century? The findings show that Iran's foreign policy has been countered by the waves of international terrorism and has protected the security of the Middle East against terrorist groups and shows how a strong Iran has always reduced the cost of major powers in the fight against terrorism.

This paper discusses the regional policies of Russia and Iran and examines their role and relationship with the Eurasian Economic Union. The data required for the research was obtained from international organizations and the research has done by descriptive-analytical method from a critical view. The Islamic Republic of Iran, which had been excluded for four decades from regionalism processes and membership in regional organizations of East and West, recently has followed cooperation and convergence with the Eurasian Economic Union (and The Shanghai Cooperation Organization). Signing the Interim Free Trade Agreement between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Eurasian Economic Union in May 2018 was an essential step for Iran to enter the regional arrangements. The USA withdrawal from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA), extensive USA sanctions against Iran in Trap’s administration (maximum pressure), and Russia's geopolitical dilemma and western sanctions have led Russia and Iran to cooperate within the framework of the Eurasian Economic Union as a geopolitical necessity. In this context, the present paper analyzes influential factors that have fostered bilateral relations between the two countries and the EEU-Iran. The results show that despite the economic name of the Agreement, its political and geopolitical goals are the main priority for the Russian Federation and the Islamic Republic of Iran. The absence of economic complementary, distrust, and political and geopolitical challenges are significant obstacles to this Agreement and relationship.

Geographical distance has always been one of the factors affecting relations between states. This has highlighted the position of neighbors in the foreign policy of countries and they have often adopted special strategies towards them. However, a glance at theories of International Relations (IR) shows that there is no specific theory about the neighborhood. Therefore, the main question is how to achieve a plan to explain the neighborhood in international politics? It seems that a hybrid theoretical approach can be presented by means of an eclectic approach and relying on the capacity and relevance of IR theories with geographical proximity and neighborhood. Therefore, the four approaches of Regionalism, Economic Interdependence, the English School and the Copenhagen School have been selected from different theories in the discipline of IR. Then, by collecting the scattered statements of the theorists of the mentioned approaches about the relations of states in close geographical distances, an attempt has been made to formulate a theoretical framework for explaining the neighborhood in international politics. This scheme not only explains the neighborhood in international politics but also introduces the link between Geography and IR.

Sanctions have been used as a foreign policy tool since the post-World War II as an alternative means to war, to change governments or switch their behavior. From that period until now, the methods of imposing sanctions have become distinctive  and complicated. Additionally, sanctions have become increasingly smarter day by day. The history of sanctions imposed by the United States of America against the Islamic Republic of Iran dates back to the first year after the victory of the Islamic Revolution (1980). The sanctions imposed against Iran are among the most durable and at the same time the most extensive ones imposed against the government and people of any country in terms of duration, scope and methods of application. The general conclusions are that the application of sanctions against Iran, even with different goals, produced sufficient impact during the long time of their application, resulting in economic losses, great people’s suffering and relative isolation of Iran.However, it did not achieve the intended goals previously defined as basis for their application.  In this article, assuming the ineffectiveness of the sanctions (considering the failure to change of change in the government/behavior of the Islamic Republic of Iran as the main goals of the United States, we seek to investigate the reasons for this ineffectiveness. In this article, by introducing the components and examples of political, economic, technological factors and geopolitical advantages the arguments for the ineffectiveness of the American sanctions against the Islamic Republic of Iran have been presented. Qualitative document analysis constitutes the research method applied in this article.

The Russo-Georgia war in 2008 interrupted Georgia’s membership in NATO and the EU. After the collapse of the USSR in 1991, Georgia was a proper destination for the western countries due to its geopolitical superiority, located between the Caspian Sea and the Black Sea. Georgia’s goal also was to obtain the conditions of the EU and NATO to achieve the membership of these two organizations as an Eastern European State. With the occurrence of war in 2008, Georgia’s Geopolitical situation changed. The research hypothesis is, by losing 20% of Georgia’s territory in that war, one of the main conditions for joining NATO and the EU which is the territorial integrity, was suspended. This research is based on the Grand Chessboard Doctrine by Brzezinski, marking the geopolitical factors of Georgia and the great powers’ interests in this territory. The main question of the article is “What are the main features of Georgia's Foreign Policy from the Geopolitical perspective from 2008 to 2018?” the hypothesis is, “Geopolitically, Georgia’s neighborhood with Russia and the August war in 2008 resulted the occupation of South Ossetia and Abkhazia by Russia, delayed the Georgia’s membership to EU and NATO and Georgia tilted toward the West since it needed to counterbalance its foreign policy with strong powers against Russia.” Therefore, despite the fact Russia tried to show the war was just an ethnic conflict, it was further than that, and Russia’s southern border security with a logical distance from NATO was the main reason for war.