International Journal of Political Science
Volume:3 Issue: 1, Winter 2013

The fall of Soviet Union and independence of republics of central Asia as well as South Caucasus have brought both chances and challenges for Iran. At first it seemed that Muslim republics, which broke from Soviet Union, might have brought great chances for Iran to promote her ideological claims and economic interests. Dreams of Islamic revolution in new independent central Asian republics invoked Iran, so much that it worried USA. In this article it is argued that Iran's challenge outweighs its chances.

This article presents the key insights about the environment and security links in the context of the Persian Gulf region. This research paper focuses on the challenge of finding a balance among development, armed conflicts and environmental degradation in the Persian Gulf region. Environmental security challenges are human security, sustainable development and regional cooperation in the Persian Gulf. As such, analysis of environmental security needs to focus more on different levels and discussed the human security and sustainable development based on their aspects in common and also investigated the cooperation opportunities in the Persian Gulf in the orientation of environmental security fulfillment. The methodologies of the study are: A historical interpretation, critical studies, casus belli, environmental political approach and content analysis. Consequently, by a closer look, it is clear that both paradigms discuss similar issues. Remarkable similarities such as environmental security are seen between them that emphasize on common policies, economy, society, and environment. Continuing environmental degradation requires long-term regional cooperation that addresses the problems of rapid development, armed conflict, unsustainable development and rising demand for energy and other resources. Regional cooperation on environment is a chance for the regional countries in the Persian Gulf for a convergence to prevent armed conflicts and pay more attention to the sustainable development and human security instead.

In the war between Ottomans and Safavids Dynasty, two thirds of Kurdistan area was separated from Iran, and joined the Ottoman territories. The Ottoman empire was defeated in World War I and Kurdistan was divided among Turkey, Iraq, Syria, and a small part joined the Soviet Russia, i.e. Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia. Concerning the Kurdish governments which were established in Iran being led by Karim Khan-e-Zand, Kurdish Red republic established in Kazakhstan during the time of Lenin, Ararat Republic in Turkey in 1927, Kurdistan Republic in Iran 1944-45 and Kurdish Regional Government (KRG) in Iraq since 2005. Thus, what should be the Kurdish stance on political and social structure and distribution of power in the region? The hypothesis of this essay is: In spite of the historical, political, military backgrounds and ethnic, linguistic and religious similarities and the importance of the Kurds desire and population, they could still not have considerable share in power structure. The method of this essay is analytical-historical method.

Since a long time ago, the Persian Gulf security has always formed the focus of attention of regional states and the world big powers. During the final years of the 20th and early 21st centuries given the changes and transformations occurring after the US war and Iraq invasion, the significance of the region from security perspective increased. As a result, several conventions and special dialogs were held by regional states, international bodies, and big world powers regarding the establishment of sustainable security to ensure particular goals and interests. In this research we analyze the sources of insecurity including intra-regional in Persian Gulf.

One of the characteristics of the modern international systems is the undeniable role the new communication technologies play in different sections of human societies. Modern communication technologies such as satellites and computers have challenged the national authority and sovereignty of Vestfallian states.  Although national states, specially, in the third world countries, extremely resist this threat, the fact is that this resistance cannot be successful. The Middle East is one of the subsystems of this whole which has witnessed great changes during the last two years, changes that are known as "Arab Spring", today. Arab Spring has brought about extensive changes in the political structure of the Middle East, and caused a shift of power in the area. This article aims to investigate and analyze the role and the effect of new communication technology on the political stability and national sovereignty of countries in the Middle East, especially, during the occurrence of changes in this area.

China is a vast and overpopulated country in the eastern Asia whose energy security and supply is the most important factor of economic growth and consequently, economic, social and political security. By the past decades, its leaders have understood the key role of economic growth and development in the economic and political security of china. Thus, they have put all their concentration on this issue. As a result, the economic growth rate of china has amounted to 10 percent, becoming the foremost element of political and social stability of china. On the other hand, maintaining this high growth rate depends on the energy security and any disturbance in energy field not only stops the economic growth but also makes the ground for the economic, political and social crisis. As a result, maintaining the energy security is of the importance in strategic goals and foreign policy priorities of the state. Thus, the statesmen tries to prioritize certain policies in domestic and foreign realm in order to increase the energy security namely; diversification of fuel sources, focusing on the domestic products, concentrating on efficiency, establishing  strategic reservoirs and investing in oil-owned countries. The aim of this article is evaluating the realization of these policies.

Although, once, in the far past, sending gifts and missionaries was called a type of public diplomacy, today it is manifested as academic disciplines, policy making institutions, and multi-purpose organizations. The most important institutions of these kinds, now, exist in the US, whose purpose is to promote the politics of this country as Public Diplomacy and to follow local and international objectives.  The present article is to answer the basic questions of what public diplomacy is and what institutions are responsible for decision making in the field of Public Diplomacy, in the present condition of Globalization.