Developing Strategies for Cultural Diplomacy of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the West Asia Region

This article seeks to develop strategies for managing cultural diplomacy in the West Asian region. In this regard, the authors while enumerating the strengths, weaknesses, threats, opportunities of the cultural space of the country by obtaining the opinion of experts in international relations and cultural studies, identified the strategies for managing the cultural diplomacy of the Islamic Republic of Iran. This research is heuristic in terms of purpose, applied in terms of the type, survey in terms of methodology, and its data analysis is combinatory (quantitative and qualitative). To identify SWOT indices, the authors used Delphi method (qualitative) and used strategic planning methodology management strategies formulated by Fred, R. David (quantitative) to develop strategies for managing cultural diplomacy. The statistical population in this research is consistent with the sample size and the non-probabilistic purposive sampling method is a judgment-sampling type which consists of two groups: experts in international relations and cultural studies (20 persons). To collect data, the expert checklist and the data analysis based on the Delphi results were used, and finally 10 optimal strategies were provided by employing strategic planning instruments (SWOT and QSPM). They are as follows: using the potential of cyberspace and young generation to neutralize the activities of the enemy by producing useful cultural content; directing the cultural space of the country towards enhancing the level of public culture in coordination with Iranian- Islamic culture and boosting cultural exports in the West Asia region; influencing the purposeful appropriation of cultural credits to elites to improve native cultural attractions; implementing policies consistent with the Supreme Leader's guidelines in the cultural fields to expand cultural influence; confronting enemy's cultural influence and employing the capabilities of critics to neutralize enemy's activities; media and virtual operations by employing appropriate methods to spread Iranian- Islamic culture; managing cultural products in the virtual and real world for influencing the West Asia region; capacity building in specialized cultural workgroups to enhance and produce cultural content in real and virtual space consistent with the country's policies in the region; applying offensive strategies rather than defensive ones and using the potentials of cultural elites to deal with enemy's activities aimed at changing society's values and norms; and finally, appropriate planning for managing cultural space by adopting an approach to increasing cultural influence and inspiring the cultural atmosphere in the region.