نشریه مطالعات دفاع مقدس و نبردهای معاصر
سال پنجم شماره 1 (پیاپی 8، بهار و تابستان 1402)

War games have been a valuable tool for many countries to pursue various objectives in military and security matters throughout history, as evidenced by the world's military education literature. Numerous studies have indicated that war games were also prevalent in the earliest conflicts of human societies. The purpose of this research is to examine war game design and development for creating a digital game at strategic levels. The research method employed in this article is descriptive-analytical. The present research belongs to the mixed-methods category. The data collection method consists of library research using note-taking tool, experimentation, observation and questionnaire, and the data analysis method is deductive. In this research, all the components and mechanics of war game design are documented, which can be useful for developing a similar system. The findings reveal that players adopt different strategies in the system according to their four play styles, which are compatible with their own preferences.

The aim of this research is to identify and analyze the asymmetric warfare model in the security doctrine of the Islamic Republic of Iran in response to the potential threats in the Persian Gulf. This research addresses the question of what is the asymmetric warfare model in Iran's security doctrine in the Persian Gulf. Therefore, the research hypothesis is as follows: Due to the asymmetry in military capabilities in terms of quantity and quality between Iran and its adversaries, including the United States, in the Persian Gulf region, Iran has adopted an asymmetric warfare method as a component of its security doctrine, which involves using military tools such as speedboats, mines, and cruise missiles. Through this method, Iran seeks to achieve the necessary deterrence for itself. The findings of this research indicate that Iran has chosen this method of war due to its constraints and necessities, and that this method has resulted in deterrence, self-sufficiency, self-reliance, structural change, and ultimately a change in the enemy's strategy. In this research, the researchers have used the theories of "asymmetric warfare" as a theoretical framework. The study of books, articles, dissertations, and scientific and military documents available has also been utilized. The nature of this research is descriptive and partly explanatory, and the data collection method is documentary library.

Governance programs have not been very successful in Iran and establishing transcendental governance as an indigenous approach in planning is one of these endeavors. Experts contend that this governance can contribute to the country’s development. Therefore, this research aims to propose a model for assessing transcendental governance by using the statements of the Supreme Leader (May God protect him) using a qualitative method, with an applied and developmental objective and in a descriptive manner; In such a way that based on this, by library method, documentary and monitoring electronic databases on assessing transcendental governance system, testament of martyrs on speeches was the foundation of study and by conducting semi-structured interviews and thematic analysis method from total 319 initial codes and 38 sub-codes, three main codes of assessment model of governance based on rationale of martyrs were depicted. The research findings show that transcendental governance based on rationale of martyrs is influential in the current governance system and the research outcomes suggest that offices and ministries should create, enhance the calculated indicators to attain their goals. Pursue the assessment and implementation of transcendental governance based on rationale of martyrs.

Martyrdom is a valuable concept in all divine religions and human schools, especially Islam. Being aware of these thoughts and spiritual expectations can promote the authentic and pure Islamic culture and values in society. The present study aims to investigate the degree of attention to the martyrs' lifestyle in the first middle school textbooks. This research is an applied study with a descriptive and content analysis method. The statistical population consists of the textbooks of that period, which were selected by purposive sampling. Five titles and fourteen volumes of books, including social studies, culture and art, thinking and lifestyle, Persian, and heavenly messages in grades seven, eight, and nine, were examined. Based on the findings of the research, five main components and 20 sub-components of the martyrs' lifestyle were identified. The family component received the most attention with 26.93%, followed by the social component with 26.14%, the cultural component with 24.23%, the political component with 11.78%, and the economic component with 10.89%.

For nearly seven years, Saudi Arabia and its allies have waged a war on Yemen, resulting in massive civilian casualties, especially among children, and widespread damage to educational facilities in the country. According to the principles of international law, targeting educational facilities as part of cultural property constitutes a violation of humanitarian law, including the four Geneva Conventions. However, the extent to which this violation entails the international liability of the Saudi-backed coalition in the global arena and whether the foreign actors intervening in Yemen are liable for targeting educational facilities or not are the main questions of this research, which have been investigated based on the norms of international law. The research findings suggest that since international liability law is derived from the notion of equal sovereignty of states and the nature of the international legal system, it seems that the issue of third-state liability for aiding or abetting or otherwise participating in an internationally wrongful act is a well-established concept in international law. Therefore, the Saudi-backed coalition bears international liability for destroying educational facilities and should be held accountable for their wrongful acts according to international mechanisms.

The epistles and testaments of the combatants during the Sacred Defense era are highly significant as authentic documents that convey their ideals and messages to future generations and depict the political, social, cultural situations of both frontlines and hinterlands. They constitute a part of the written cultural legacy of the Sacred Defense. These epistles, which reflect the beliefs and aspirations of the combatants, not only influence various segments of society and provide spiritual gratification for the reader, but also contribute to advancing historical and sociological studies. They also contain creative and innovative elements that have been overlooked and neglected in most examinations of the written heritage of the Sacred Defense. Therefore, this research aims to explore the artistic and innovative aspects of the epistles and testaments of the combatants from Qom province between 1980-1988 - which have not been printed yet - using a descriptive-analytical method. These epistles and especially testaments have a specific structure at a general level, consisting of introduction, contextualization, testament text, conclusion, name and signature. From a literary perspective, various literary devices have been employed in their text. The culture of Ashura, velayat-e faqih (guardianship of jurist), and safeguarding the achievements of the revolution are among the most prominent themes that dominate their content. One of the outcomes of this research is to introduce epistles whose authors have written them in a distinctive way from others by spending time and taste and often in their leisure time. Some examples of artistic and innovative works in this section are occasional correspondence, use of foreign or second languages, versification, multicolor writing, application of literary devices, calligraphy, painting, appropriation of trivialities, and various forms of name writing.

The war between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Ba’athist regime of Iraq is one of the biggest and longest wars of the twentieth century. With the onset of Iraq’s invasion in 1980, the political climate of the country changed along with the social climate. The most important group that had a mysterious performance during Sacred Defense was the Mojahedin-e Khalq Organization (dissidents). This organization not only did not maintain its position until the end of the war; But it transferred its forces to the enemy front of Ba’athist Iraq and openly aligned with its Iranian compatriots. In this research, an attempt has been made to answer this question: What is the role of dissidents in the Iran-Iraq war with a focus on Quranic teachings? The present research is developmental-applied and according to necessity, documentary and qualitative content analysis methods have been employed. The findings of this research indicate that the role of dissidents in the Iran-Iraq war with a focus on Quranic teachings are deceptive and contradictory stances, toxic propaganda and rumor-mongering, sabotage and blind terrorism, espionage and wiretapping Iranian forces’ phone calls in favor of Ba’athist regime of Iraq and conducting armed operations.

The Republic of Azerbaijan, with its distinctive geopolitical and geo-economic features, has a special role and status in the political scene of the Islamic Republic of Iran. In recent years, the presence of the Zionist regime in the South Caucasus region as a peripheral region of the Islamic Republic of Iran and strategic collaboration with the regional countries, especially with the Republic of Azerbaijan, and also continuing and enhancing these collaborations and adopting strategic plans, have posed serious challenges for the national interests of the Islamic Republic of Iran. If defensive-security implications are not considered and anticipated to counteract the continuation of presence and further normalization of ties between the Zionist regime and the Republic of Azerbaijan, this could create serious problems in various political, military, security, economic, cultural and social domains for national security. The Islamic Republic of Iran. Therefore, in this research, an attempt has been made to “elucidate the defensive-security implications of the Islamic Republic of Iran in confronting actions stemming from the normalization of ties between the Zionist regime and the Republic of Azerbaijan”. The research method is a mixed (qualitative and quantitative) content analysis method and Imam Khomeini’s Sahifeh (May God bless his soul) text during Sacred Defense has been studied with two approaches: analogy and induction. In this framework, 9 concepts related to “psychological warfare in Sacred Defense” component were extracted and their frequency status as well as their change trend were investigated. In addition, based on “coding and categorization” process, most important psychological warfare strategies were calculated. The findings indicate that Imam Khomeini’s (May God bless his soul) viewpoint on psychological warfare in Sacred Defense is based on three main principles: “the principle of unity and solidarity among Muslims; resistance and steadfastness against oppression and aggression; awareness-raising; vigilance against deception; sedition.”

Psychological warfare is the systematic and precise use of propaganda and other means to influence the thoughts and behaviors of different groups of allies and adversaries to achieve objectives. With the onset of the imposed war, the Western media empire and its regional proxies made extensive efforts to conduct psychological warfare to affect the Iranian people and government. Imam Khomeini (May God bless his soul) delivered various speeches and messages to counteract the enemy’s psychological warfare and also to inform the Iraqi military and people, which can be named as psychological warfare strategies. Accordingly, this research aims to examine and elucidate “psychological warfare in the Sacred Defense” from Imam Khomeini’s (May God bless his soul) perspective. The research method is a mixed (qualitative and quantitative) content analysis method and Imam Khomeini’s Sahifeh (May God bless his soul) text during the Sacred Defense was studied with two approaches of analogy and induction. In this framework, 9 concepts related to the component of “psychological warfare in Sacred Defense” were extracted and their frequency status and also their change trend were investigated. In addition, based on the process of “coding and categorization”, the most important psychological warfare strategies were calculated. The findings of the research indicate that three concepts of “interpreting the imposed war as a symbol of the struggle between truth and falsehood; explaining war as a Sacred Defense and enlightening about propaganda and false claims of Iraq’s Ba’athist regime and its allies” had the highest frequency. Also, content analysis of Imam Khomeini’s (May God bless his soul) statements shows that he had three specific strategies in mind, including “presenting a dualism of Islam and disbelief, confronting the enemy’s psychological war (distortion, doubt and discord) and ultimately enlightening and inviting Iraqi military and people”.

Martyr Soleimani was at the helm of creating and maintaining a civilizational domain that was not feasible with merely the military or even the cultural and political forces of the Islamic Republic of Iran; Rather, establishing a civilizational domain, after centuries, required forces that all emerged in an extraordinary and consistent historical leap in the personality of the spiritual leader Haj Qassem. In this regard, the authors sought to answer this question: “What are the aspects and features of the personality of the spiritual leader martyr Qassem Soleimani that put him in the role of creator and sustainer of civilization?” The research data were collected by library method and the methodology governing the text is descriptive-analytical. The findings indicate that Soleimani’s spiritual existence and civilizational domain-building in West Asia, which were authentic manifestations and exemplars of the Iranian-Shiite civilizational quality, also revived and added new elements to this civilization in the 21st century. Consequently, it can be said that one of the indicators of Haj Qassem’s domain-building was his fundamental distinction from the colonial forces of history; This domain-building had a negative and defensive nature and was imperative and essential to prevent the subjugation by foreigners, as a fundamental principle in Islam and Iranian culture.

Developing a model of defense policy according to the views of the society’s leaders is a clear roadmap that directs the actions of individuals and social groups in society in facing threats. This research aims to develop a model of defense policy based on the statements of the Supreme Leader (May God protect him) using a phenomenological method and Colaizzi’s seven-step technique. The research population consists of speeches and messages of the Supreme Leader of the Revolution from 1989 to 2022, from which 43 speeches were selected by purposive sampling method and coded by MAXQDA software. The findings indicate that His Eminence’s (May God protect him) defense policy is an inclusive policy based on the teachings and values   of the holy system of the Islamic Republic. The defense policy model obtained has 81 components, which has been proposed to defend the oppressed people of the world, ensure sustainable security, uphold the dignity of the Iranian nation and the Islamic Ummah (nation of Islam).

The purpose of this research is to investigate the cultural consequences of the burial of the unknown martyrs of the Holy Defense from the point of view of the female students of the Technical and Vocational University. This research is of a survey type in terms of practical purpose, and a researcher-made questionnaire was used to collect data. The statistical population of the research includes the female students of Technical and Vocational University in 1401, 373 people were selected and studied by proportional stratified sampling method. In order to calculate the validity, Cronbach's alpha was used from some professors and experts and the reliability supervisor of the questionnaire, and all the items were confirmed. In this regard, 6 variables, including the spirit of self-sacrifice, the spirit of martyrdom, the culture of chastity and hijab, national identity, insight and awareness-giving, the spirit of resistance and standing, were examined as the cultural consequences of the burial of the unknown martyrs of the holy defense. The results show that the view of female students of technical and vocational faculties towards the cultural consequences of the burial of unknown martyrs is favorable (more than average). More than half of the students believe that the burial of the unknown martyrs has played a significant role in strengthening the spirit of self-sacrifice and martyrdom, raising the culture of chastity and hijab, creating a national identity, increasing insight and awareness, and the spirit of resistance and standing.