The Changing Concept of Power in International Relations and Challenges of Iran’s Cyber Strategies

Among the most basic concepts in IR, power is one directly or indirectly associated with many others like security, national interests, diplomacy. National interests are already safeguarded with power, which has changed over time. Publicness, subjectivity, polarity, relativity and unquantifiability are among its features and parameters. Power also maintains the status quo structurally. The special task of a world power is to ensure international security and peace. Power can be defined through the framework of realism and liberalism. A shift from hard power to soft power and from real environment to cyber environment is the object of study in the discussion on the changing concept of power. In this study, the aim is to find the changes the concept of power has undergone. The point of departure for this concept in the present century is defined by a case study on the challenges of Iran‟s cyber strategies. This is the response to the question: what challenges pale Iran‟s cyber strategies with respect to the dynamics of power? It is believed that the main challenges Iran faces in the cyber space, considering the past trends and experiences of other status, include the difficulty and complexity in recognizing cyberspace, being a user in all areas, insufficient public trust in the government‟s cyber plans, lack of a comprehensive and efficient cyber strategy, is landing practices and not keeping pace with the revolution in the cyber space.