Mohammad Reza Mofatteh; Abdolreza Faraji Rad; Ribaz Ghorbaninejad; Azam Yousefi
Abstract
Diplomacy is the most important aspects and the most objective forms of a country's foreign policy. This research is applied in terms of purpose and descriptive, analytical and exploratory in terms of research method. This study uses ARC GIS software to implement the leveling of national power in the ...
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Diplomacy is the most important aspects and the most objective forms of a country's foreign policy. This research is applied in terms of purpose and descriptive, analytical and exploratory in terms of research method. This study uses ARC GIS software to implement the leveling of national power in the target countries (in the GIS environment). It also uses the AHP model to weight the sub-components of public diplomacy. Also, in this study Moran's test has been used to spatially analyze the pattern of distribution of national power indicators, and also the Meta-SWOT method has been used to provide a stable spatial pattern, and 36 sub-components (indices) has been used for the spatial analysis and stratification of Southwest Asian countries based on the public diplomacy component. The findings shows the fact that the countries of Syria and Armenia have played a significant role in increasing the geopolitical weight of Iran and are very important, as well as the countries of Iraq and Georgia are in a position of high importance, and the countries of Turkey, Azerbaijan and Qatar are in a position of medium importance. The UAE, Kuwait, Jordan and Cyprus are in a low-important position. According to the analysis, the results show the fact that the component of public diplomacy follows a cluster pattern. The similar political behavior of the Persian Gulf countries in relation to Iran is one of the geopolitical reasons for this cluster distribution. By strengthening this axis (public diplomacy) the countries of Lebanon, Azerbaijan, Iraq, Turkey and Qatar can also be added to the list of very important countries and by forming a very strong cluster consisting of the mentioned countries can help to increase the role of the political power of Iran in the region. According to conducted research, the application of economic sanctions has been identified as the biggest challenges and obstacles to the application of regional policies of Iran. Placement in the security environment of Southwest Asia region and the sanctions on Iran's monetary and banking system are considered as the biggest environmental, economic and legal obstacles that require attention due to the size and the degree of influence of each.
mohammad reza hafeznia; Syrus Ahmadi Nohadani; Mehdi Noori roustayi
Abstract
Transit is a factor in the exchange and enhancement of national power in terms of bus crossing and despite its potentials and geographical parameters, it is far from the desired situation in this regard. In this research, by compiling information and data through library and field data including transit ...
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Transit is a factor in the exchange and enhancement of national power in terms of bus crossing and despite its potentials and geographical parameters, it is far from the desired situation in this regard. In this research, by compiling information and data through library and field data including transit (petroleum and non-oil) transit through road, rail, air and sea as well as comparing Iran's performance with other transit routes, it examines Iran's transit status and Its role is focused on national income as well as national power. In this regard, a questionnaire has been designed which consists of 8 variables, each of which has been analyzed and evaluated using statistical methods and spss software. According to the results of the study, it can be concluded that the use of the country's transit position will have an important role in increasing the power of control as well as guaranteeing national security. It also generates jobs and increases incomes, which is a factor of economic prosperity. Consequently, given that each of the indices and parameters discussed contributes to the increase of national power, it can be concluded that Iran can increase its national power and improve its geopolitical status by using its transit position.
Narges Vazin; Hossein Mokhtari Hashi; Mahdi Setayesh Manesh
Abstract
Extended abstract
Introduction
National power is a set of potential and actual capabilities of a country that is used to achieve national interests. Increasing national power is one of the most important goals of countries and efforts are always made to achieve it. National power plays an ...
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Extended abstract
Introduction
National power is a set of potential and actual capabilities of a country that is used to achieve national interests. Increasing national power is one of the most important goals of countries and efforts are always made to achieve it. National power plays an important role in the geopolitical weight of countries, which determines their position in the international system. Tourism can strengthen national power by strengthening the soft aspects of national power. This is why countries focus on tourism to achieve this goal. Iran is considered one of the ten largest countries in the world in terms of various historical, religious and natural tourist attractions, and it can use this opportunity to strengthen its national power. The present study aims to explain the importance and impact of tourism on national power components in Iran.
Review of Literature
National power has various origins and foundations that produce national power in a collective function. Economic, political, military, social, geographical and scientific factors are some of the main factors shaping the national power of countries. The impact of tourism on the economy is one of the direct and indirect methods of per capita income, as well as government revenues and increasing employment opportunities. Tourism also contributes to a fair distribution of income and directs money from the rich and middle classes to the poor, and can have a significant impact on improving the economies of less developed countries. Politically, tourism often helps increase political stability. With the increase in social interactions resulting from tourism, peace and understanding among nations will increase and in fact tourism is a tool of public diplomacy. Tourism can provide a positive and unmediated mental image of countries. Another effect of tourism is increasing security in the community. Socially and culturally, tourism helps to strengthen local values, traditions and culture, and also renews some customs and traditions. Tourism helps to raise public awareness and learn more about other cultures. Tourism protects historical monuments and buildings.
Methodology
A descriptive-analytical and survey research method was used in this study. The study subjects consists of 40 elites and academic specialists. Field research methods (5 pint likert scales questionnaire) were used for data collection purposes. The reliability of questionnaire with score of 0.7 confirmed. The collected data were analysed using SPSS software and GLM repeated measures analysis of variance test and one- sample t-test.
Findings and Discussion
Regarding the impact of tourism on national power dimensions, the one-sample T-test with an average value (3) indicated the mean values of 4, 3.85, and 3.91 for the economic, socio-cultural and political dimensions respectively. It was statistically significant at the alpha level of 0.05, indicating the impact of tourism on the national power of Iran. Regarding the impact of tourism on national power factors, the one-sample t-test showed that all factors of three economic, socio-cultural and political dimensions had mean values higher than average, and it was statistically significant at the alpha level of 0.05. Therefore, it can be concluded that tourism can strengthen the national power of Iran in all three economic, socio-cultural and political dimensions.
Conclusion
Today, the importance of tourism has attracted the attention of governments and nations, and countries are trying to develop tourism by adapting their national structures to these activities, not only to introduce their culture, country, land, nation, history and national identity to the world, but also they have good economic interests and a special place in the international trade of the tourism industry. Given the numerous and diverse capabilities and opportunities in the field of tourism that Iran has, the present study has explained the importance and the role of tourism in strengthening the national power of the country. The results of this study show that the development of tourism is effective in strengthening the national power of the country in macroeconomic, political and socio-cultural dimensions. Among these dimensions, tourism has the greatest impact on the economic dimension by strengthening the components of "increasing national income" and "strengthening the private sector." The overall results showed that tourism development both strengthens and develops the country's economic by increasing income, production, job creation, strengthening the private sector, trade development, increasing justice, strengthening domestic and foreign policy, increasing welfare, education, increasing national cohesion and solidarity and simultaneous cultural exchanges at the national and international levels, as well as it strengthens the country's domestic and foreign policies, and ultimately, strengthens the national power, the country's geopolitical position at the regional and global levels. Along with the above results, the following suggestions are provided:
To increase the awareness of legislators, policymakers and planners of the country with the position of tourism in strengthening national power;
To develop an integrated policy and planning system between policy makers and tourism planning agencies;
To create expert interactions between the foreign policy apparatus and policy makers and executives of the country's tourism industry;
To familiarize diplomats and experts of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs with the capabilities and potentials of tourism;
To expand relations with international tourism-related organizations such as the United Nations World Tourism Organization, the World Travel and Tourism Council, and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization.
Seyed javad Mosavi; seyed hadi zarghani; hadi azami
Abstract
Extended Abstract
1. Introduction
Science and technology play a geopolitical role in the global geography of power which is called the power of science and technology. In this regard, statesmen emphasize on science and technology as a key source for the promotion of geopolitical prestige as well as ...
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Extended Abstract
1. Introduction
Science and technology play a geopolitical role in the global geography of power which is called the power of science and technology. In this regard, statesmen emphasize on science and technology as a key source for the promotion of geopolitical prestige as well as a fundamental tool for improving their people’s standard of living. In other words, science and technology are not only considered as one of the main factors of national power, but also play fundamental role in strengthening other dimensions of national power such as economic, military, territorial, political, cultural power, and so on. Therefore, the study of indicators and variables demonstrating the power of science and technology is very important in terms of evaluating the scientific and technological power of countries and comparing them to each other, as well as analyzing the function and influence of scientific and technological power on other dimensions of national power, such as territorial, military, political, economic, cultural dimension, and so on. This study intends to explore and recognize the most important variables and indicators shaping the scientific and technological power of countries and describe it in a conceptual model.
2. Theoretical Framework
Although power is one of the terms that there is no general consensus about its meaning, it can be defined simply as the dominant ability of the individual, society and government over the opinions and actions of others. However, this phenomenon has the special place in the political geography literature, particularly in geopolitics. The scholars in geopolitics and international relations fields along with the statesmen have always concerned about the components and factors of national power and actually indicators can accurately reflect the nature of national power. Generally, national power is considered as a combination of the material and spiritual capacities of a country. More precisely, the national power of countries is arisen from the diverse sources such as land and geography space, human resources, military, scientific and cultural capabilities. Meanwhile, science and technology in the opinion of most scholars is one of the main components of national power. In this framework, if science, on its general concept, refers to any kind of consciousness about objects, phenomena and relationships; and technology is defined as the systematic use of scientific information and other systematic consciousness for practical purposes; and also, innovation is considered as the equivalent of putting creative ideas into a new product or service, power of science and technology will be defined as a power of human which is appeared by the ability for knowledge generation, knowledge application, innovation and skilled human resource training. Obviously, variables and indicators of scientific and technological power have a fundamental impact on other dimensions of power such as economic, military, territorial, political, and social power.
3. Methodology
This study has been carried out with the reference to materials of library and fieldworks in descriptive-analytical method. First, in the library step, the most important variables and indicators influencing on scientific and technological power of countries in 102 indicators was gathered referring to reliable sources. In the next step, these indicators were classified in terms of their nature and function in six factors including human resources, financial and economic factors, mediator, information and communication technology (ICT), academic output and performance in strategic sciences. Then, in fieldwork part, the importance of the indicators of each factor, as well as the prioritization of the six factors of the scientific and technological power were determined in fieldwork approach and a questionnaire was prepared by domestic and foreign experts. Accordingly, a researcher-made questionnaire consisted of 108 questions was designed in both Farsi and English based on the Likert scale. Then, regarding the interdisciplinary nature of the research, professors and experts in various fields of political geography, international relations, science and technology policy, economics with an emphasis on economic development, strategic management, management and strategic planning were asked to fill out the questionnaire. Finally, more than 300 questionnaires were provided to internal and external experts and field analysis was based on the filled out questionnaires.
4. Findings and Discussion
The results of this research in two parts of the library and fieldwork show that the phenomenon of the power of science and technology, like national power, has a mixed nature; in other words, since this concept is influenced by the various fields including human resources, financial resources and information technology, it requires a combination of operational indicators to define itself and consequently, assess the power of science and technology. Accordingly, the combinative model of the power of science and technology is proposed as the result of research in the form of six conceptual factors on the priority importance order (economic factors, human resources, scientific output and innovation, information technology, performance in strategic sciences and mediator) with 44 operating indicators.