The Impact of Paradigm Shifts on the Development of Cultural Diplomacy in the 21st Century; case study: Iran's Cultural Relations with the West

Today, the field of international relations is strongly influenced by cultural factors and identity. Therefore, at the present time, governments have adopted a new approach to achieve their political, social and economic goals by using cultural tools in their relations with other governments. The presence of the Islamic Republic of Iran as an active country in the international stage has provided a platform for the its activities in the various fields more than before. Thus, recognition of the causes and factors of success and failure in this field is one of the issues to be addressed. So that, the Islamic Republic of Iran with its dynamic presence in the international stage, continuously and consistently achieves its goals and interests. Iran has a high potential for cultural diplomacy, and since this country has a good situation in terms of having hard power, it is necessary to add to its soft power and strive to achieve a desirable position in this field. This paper seeks to introduce a meaningful and accurate conception of cultural diplomacy with descriptive and analytical research methods. Also this research aims to address the following question:What is the role of cultural diplomacy in developing international relations, especially Iran's relations with the Western countries? The hypothesis of this paper shows that the cultural discourses of Iran with the West have a significant difference to compare with the other countries and by employing the cultural diplomacy, this difference could be minimized.