The Impact of the Policy on Solidarity and National Identity Case Study: Iran's Nuclear Energy Policy

Nuclear policy of Islamic Republic of Iran, as prominent part of national policy became a general issue of the country in the recent decades, its strategies had significant effects on life of citizens. Making strategies of nuclear policy of IRI provoke the foreign forces and external threats contributed to make decision for internal nuclear policy. Nuclear Diplomatic process that began since previous decades entered new stage through Vienna Agreement Contract (it is called common action program). The present research attempted to study its effects on national solidarity and identity.On the issue of nuclear energy, national policy has affected the solidarity and national identity of the Iranian people. Because most national strategies and policies have affected people's morale, especially national solidarity. The discussion of “identity” is from basic and essential themes around "nationalization" in political-geographical region.This research is an excerpt from a doctoral thesis in the field of political geography at Tarbiat Modarres University. The present article explains the field data and statistical data of the research.

In terms of nature, the method of the present study is descriptive/analytical and In terms of purpose, it’s fundamental and explains the role of politics in shaping the intellectual space of society in a specific geographical space (Iran). The data of this study were collected by field method and based on the researcher's questionnaire. This questionnaire, after accreditation by Cronbach's alpha, was distributed to 72 experts in the fields of political geography, political science, and social sciences selected through non-probabilistic sampling. After extraction and compression, the data were analyzed using SPSS and Lisrel software. Then the research hypotheses were evaluated and the research results were explained.Descriptive findings of research:In the present research, “nuclear policy” variable was encoded from 1 to 5 in 10 items with 5 components: political players approach, political processes, political documents, party tension, and international relations. Code closer to 4/6 suggested more success of these components in nuclear policy.Variable of “national solidarity improvement” was based on 10 items with four components of “threat, common value, common interest, common attachment” which each item had 5 answers with 1 to5 codes. Code closer to 4/5 suggested more success of this variable. Threat component was effective more than other. Common interest and common attachment as expert’s views.Variable of “public satisfaction” was made based on 14 items and three components of “communication, tactics, tools” which each of them encoded from 1-5. Range of this variable was ½ to 4/6. Code closer to 4/6 suggested more satisfaction.Analysis (explaining of findings)According that the research variables were based on the Likert scale and based on the distance measurement level, the Colomograph -Smirnov test was used to test the normality.Since that distribution was not normal, so smart PLS software was used because this software was consistent to factor analysis and analysis of structural equations. Therefore, all items of research were approved.

Nuclear energy policy has largely sought to justify its goals (average 3.4). In this policy, political actors, especially those such as fundamentalists and reformists, sought to justify it, and this justification was achieved through political processes.Nuclear energy policy was formed in each period based on previous historical relations and experience. Today, if the level of tension is rising or there is no desire for a new agreement, it is failure to adhere to the agreements that throughout history Irahasseen from other countries, especially in the Vienna agreement.An examination of the impact of nuclear energy policy on national cohesion and national identity showed that there was no significant relationship between the nuclear energy policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran and national identity, and that policy had no effect on strengthening national identity.Regarding the role of Iran's mechanisms for discourse on nuclear policy, the results showed that the government used all possible means to achieve its policies, such as the media, radio and television, and the tribune of Friday prayers imams, and etc. Political actors also justified and interpreted the government's geopolitical Imagination with political motives and goals in the geographical space (national and supranational). The hypothesis of this case was confirmed at a high level.