فصلنامه مطالعات راهبردی سیاستگذاری عمومی
پیاپی 17 (زمستان 1393)

After collapse of the bipolar system and disintegration of the Soviet Union, it was forecasted that all institutions and mechanisms related to the system would disappear, but the two security pacts, Warsaw and NATO, which had emerged out of the Cold War, encountered two different destinies. Warsaw Pact was disbanded following the disintegration of the USSR, but while the same destiny was expected for NATO, it succeeded in overcoming its identity crisis by redefining its functions and duties and justified its existence in 21st century. A pact that seems meaningless, while the United Nations is the custodian of stability and security in the world, was not only able to survive by structural and semantic changes, but act as the executive arm of the United Nations and the world police while the Security Council suffers from an executive vacuum. The change in the concept of security may have played the most important role in this survival. In the post Cold War era we are witnessing the formation of approaches in international relations which are focusing on redefining the concept of security. So, the main question of this research is how NATO defines the concept of security in the new world order and how it has structurally modified itself to coordinate with this change. Copenhagen School as one of the most prominent schools of the field redefined the concept of security by offering a comprehensive interpretation of the concept of security and expanded the scope of security to multiple dimensions. Accordingly, after the Cold War, the nature of the threats has changed and they have become more widespread and diverse. In this regard, by the change in the concept of security from hardware and unilateral dimension during the cold war to software and multilateral in the post Cold War era, we are seeing changes in the functions of NATO from a mere military institution to a political- security institution.

For the past few decades, the emergence of various waves of multiculturalism has raised the fundamental question that considering cultural diversity as the most prominent feature of human societies, can the Declaration of Human Rights still be viewed as containing universal moral values? If cultural differences represent the diversity of human identities, how far and on what basis should the people who want to preserve their particular identities in face of assimilatory effects of globalization, are obligated to abide by the contents of the Declaration? In this paper, employing Charles Taylor’s conception of the dialogical self, John Rawls’s distinction between the rational and the reasonable, and Michael Walzer’s argument on thick and thin moral principles, it is discussed that, although the implications of identity differences may well affect the ways the contents of the principles of human rights are articulated, there are some principles which contain basic values that are universally valued, regardless of the existence of unique cultural identities of human societies.

Globalization process has affected different dimensions of modern life. Globalization with its free flow of information and communications, and changes in interactions and relations from micro to macro levels, has created challenges and opportunities for the global community. Globalization theories have undergone a paradigm shift and moved towards glocalization. In this new paradigm, accepting the pluralistic model is considered as the main axis in understanding and analyzing the interlinking caused by globalization. Like other fields, in the field of ethnic groups, globalization process can have diverse and sometimes conflicting impacts on ethnic groups. Some experts believe in incorporation and even permutation of subcultures and ethnic, local, and national identities in the dominant global culture, while other scholars believe that globalization boosts ethnic, local and national tendencies and orientations. Globalization process accepts pluralism in all aspects and by accepting this principle, cultural and social pluralism is capable of solving possible problems and challenges in the field of ethnic groups. Accordingly, this paper attempts to address this concern by studying the two models of assimilation and pluralism. The main hypothesis of the study is that pluralism, as one of the major components in the symmetric and comprehensive development, is the most practical model for convergence and solidarity of ethnic groups and religious minorities in Iran.

This research aims at studying future trends in information technology and communications through futures study and cyberspace services presentable in Iran in its technological globalization process. To this end, through library research and documentary studies, effective trends in the future of cyberspace services were identified which include: 1. Upstream documents, 2. Establishing Iran’s national center for cyberspace, 3. Cultural and social changes in the use of internet, 4. Development of technological infrastructure and modern information and communication tools, 5. E-literacy expansion, 6. Facilitating usage and applicability of cyberspace services, 7. Relatively low cost of cyberspace services. Employing Delphi method of futures studies, probable future of cyberspace services was defined within the frameworks of absolute future, parallel future, complementary future, and shadow future. Based on the results obtained from the analysis of 18 experts of the field and consensus view of the elites considering the surrounding trends regarding probable futures, parallel presentation of cyberspace services in the next 10 years with the score of 87.66 was regarded as the first priority. Furthermore, the optimal future of cyberspace services in Iran was decided by % 92.65 of the elites as offering parallel cyberspace services in the country. According to this futures study, it is recommended that decision making organizations such as the National Center for Cyberspace and Ministry of Communications and Information Technology take note of the above points in their scenarios and planning priorities.

Exploring media discourse is a fruitful and established line of study in Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) which is aimed at detection and disclosure of media bias. The present study investigated the impact of critical media literacy and language awareness raising activities on a group of English students (N=15, both males and females) in the globalization age of culture and media. The study consisted of a group of Urmia University students who were homogenized based on a TOEFL practice proficiency test and students getting 500 and above were invited to take part in the study. The treatment included six sessions on critical thinking, propaganda devices, word choice, headlines analysis, and institutional affiliations influencing media report. In addition, each session included a reading sample of a biased text from a number of EFL and media sources, namely, International Herald Tribune, CNN, ELT books, and the internet and its analysis. A short debate followed and participants were asked to write an argumentative essay. The students were asked to write about their attitudes towards the course at the end of the treatment. Qualitative content analysis of their comments revealed a great positive attitude towards the course and a substantial growth in their critical media literacy.

Since the last century, Islamism has had major impacts on regional and global equations. It can be claimed that Islamism and its related phenomena are the most influential variables in the Middle East, the most volatile region in the world. Although Islamism is not a coherent phenomenon, the common point of all of its internal sects and movements is the endeavor to resolve the crises of the Islamic world by resorting to Islam and its linguistic elements. Meanwhile, the kind, nature, and structure of the crises have fundamental effects on the structure of the Islamists. While they all have a common Islamic tradition, their different structures have led to splitting points among different Islamist generations. This paper tries to demonstrate similarities and splits between classical fundamentalism and modern Islamism and the reasons behind the splits. The main hypothesis is that formation structure of modern Islamism is the main reason of split between modern Islamism and classical fundamentalism. Finally, through the case study of “Al- Muhajiroun”, the behavioral pattern of this Islamist group with non-conventional rationality is explained.

Globalization is indeed a revolution which is inevitable and irreversible. Globalization transforms human geography and strongly enriches thoughts and attitudes of people by opening exquisite and innovative windows. This paper first explains the concept of globalization considering its historical genealogy and reflecting on its lexical meanings and definitions. Globalization is a multidimensional phenomenon and accordingly, affects multiple dimensions of our lives including economics, politics, culture and rights. Globalization has direct relationship with women’s issues such as their rate of participation in political and economic affairs and their level of education and these issues determine their interaction or confrontation with the globalization process. Therefore, giving a comprehensive report in this regard is essential. At the end it seems that social globalization enhances levels of civil liberties such as freedom of speech and protesting unequal opportunities, and it paves the way for social reforms and leads to the improvements in women’s rights. While economic globalization has some positive economic impacts such as improved wages, employment and financial independence, it does not significantly improve women’s civil liberties.