فصلنامه بین المللی ژئوپلیتیک
سال دهم شماره 3 (پیاپی 35، پاییز 1393)

The concept of strategic region is one of the fundamental concepts that are studied in the Geopolitics, International relation and political sciences literature. Generally, finding the theoretical and practical indicators of strategic region has been one of the important tasks of scholars and scientist in these fields. They have always tried to argue different indicators regarding various conditions of the world and also to encourage the politicians for access and control these regions. So, it is clear that this concept like other concepts in the domain of geopolitics has dynamic nature and during the history has been regenerated and redefined resulting from change in governments views related to sources creating power and competition. In this regard, with end of the Cold War and the collapse of bipolar system, the indicators of strategic region concept and its corresponding indicators are differentiated with the past which is not dealt with current years. Because of lack of comprehensive research about strategic region concept there is now the theoretical and conceptual chaos about the applications of this concept in different text. In the main question is “what are the major indicators of strategic region and place after cold war? The research methodology adopted is descriptive- analytic and the data- gathering procedure is based on library finding. Before the collapse of bipolar system, strategic region had ideological basis. Until the end of the Cold War, the IR had determined the important region or places based on the value assumptions. In other words, they had specified their friends or foes, trust or mistrust and fear or comfort related to other authorities and based on places and geographic areas importance. So, buffer regions between the two superpower and their allies was consider as strategic region. But after end of the Cold War, strategic places and region comprise of geographic area that present the infrastructure of development and welfare. In other words, this place and region have big potential for producing and presenting vital outflows of power such as energy, financing, information, insecurity etc. that gaining without them power is not possible. Research finding reveal that today geographic regions which large scale and global outflows, networks and process emerge from them could consider among strategic regions. As we said, these regions present infrastructures of power, development etc. so, the strategic regions and places have two main characteristics: 1- High geopolitical weight in the world. 2 - Sphere of global influence currents flowing from these areas.

Climate change is one of the most important issues occupying the minds of scientists from the end of the twentieth century. Not only, the matter leads to climate and ocean change, increase in ice melting level, rise in sea level and changes in greenhouse gases concentration, but also this phenomenon has some important geopolitical consequences. The most important emerging change is global warming. As the result of global warming, arctic regions are one of the regions whose geopolitics has changed. In the few past decades, the North Pole has been warmed two times more than other regions of the earth and it is predicted that in the late of 2030s, there will not remain ice. As the result of the climate change, arctic regions have become the central front of the world’s new geopolitical viewpoints, because it is the first time in modern history that natural resources such as hydrocarbons are accessible in those regions. So, as the result of these changes geopolitical and geo-economic importance of the North Pole is rapidly increasing and most likely its mineral resources will make it one of the prosperous economic regions in the 21st century. Therefore, arctic regions’ geopolitics is an emerging discourse which is the setting organized into power- knowledge and a network from multiple elements. But this region has major geopolitical challenges that have been revealed in the last decade called “The North Pole Crisis” and “The New Cold War”. The aim of the research is to study these geopolitical challenges. The research methodology adopted is descriptive- analytic and the data- gathering procedure is based on library and field finding. During the 20th century, the North Pole was areas having militarily interests which were used as a base for nuclear submarines and as a place to test long ranges ballistic missiles. The region lost much of its strategic importance in late of 20th century and after the cold war. During the recent years, however, climate change has brought the North Pole again into the focus and has given it much geopolitical importance. Global warming has caused decrease in the volume of arctic ice cap, to the point that between 1970 and 2007, above 40% of the ice had been melted. The melting of the ice will bring about two different geopolitical changes to the region. First, the region’s natural resources, which include vast reserves of fossil fuels, will become accessible in a time that the price of carriers of energy is increasing; second, save in the time and consuming fuel in the result of creation new pathways for marine navigation. U.S Geological Survey has estimated that the North Pole has 90 billion barrels of unexplored oil reserves, 1669 trillion cubic feet of unexplored natural gas reserves, and 44 billion barrels of unexplored natural gas distillates reserves. From the other hand, ice melting makes marine navigation possible in the region, and consequently the new pathways will be created in the North Pole. The creation of new northeast and northwest pathways of North Pole will change global geopolitics and business. Analysis : Climate change and melting of the ice cap have given the North Pole new geopolitical weight and have given the countries encircling the Arctic and the world powers the new opportunities. A closer look at the situation, however, would reveal many important geopolitical challenges as well. Some of them are as follows: 1-Territorial disputes among the countries encircling the ice cap 2- Disputes on marine passage rights 3- Increase in the power of Russia 4- Increase in militarization of the area 5- Presence of competing world powers which are not among region’s countries 6-Tendencies of ethnic minorities of the region to get independency Environmental changes can bring important geopolitical consequences. During the past decade, the most important climate change has been global warming. One of the regions whose geopolitical situation has been affected by global warming is the North Pole. During the few past decades, the North Pole has been warmed two times more than other regions of the earth. These changes have turned the North Pole into the central front of new geopolitical viewpoints and have increased the geopolitical importance of the region in two ways: First, the region’s natural resources which include vast reserves of fossil fuels will become accessible in a time when price of carriers of energy is increasing; second, save in the time and consuming fuel in the result of creation new pathways for marine navigation. The creation of new northeast and northwest pathways of North Pole will change global geopolitics and business, and turn it into an economically active region in the 21st century. The countries anticipate that the North Pole can alleviate their dependence on other regions (i.e. the Persian Gulf) as well as on other trade routes. In fact, the geopolitics of the North Pole is rising as a discourse which is the setting organized into power- knowledge and a network from multiple elements. It seems that climate change and melting of ice have generated opportunities for the five countries encircling the ice cap and for other world powers as well. A closer look would also reveal important geopolitical challenges. Some of these challenges are linked with expansionist attitudes showed by countries within and without the Arctic Circle. There are territorial disputes and contradictory claims over the continental shelf; there is a growing militarization of the region and a growing presence of outside powers; nonnative residents of the region have showed a growing appetite to get independency and there is some dispute over marine routes; and finally there is the growing power of Russia and its consequences for the west. Finally, it is noteworthy that while there is no specified regime for the Arctic, the international convention of maritime law is regarded as the best framework to deal with issues related to the Arctic, and it can present appropriate solutions to settle issues related to the territorial disputes, marine routes, and natural resources of the regions.

Interodaction: Foreign policy is defined as theoretical bases and behavioral patterns of a particular government to obtain and clarify national rights and security from and for official and unofficial players in international arena. An individual can study foreign policy in different levels such as local, regional, continental, and global. Persian Gulf is a unique region which has been one of the main targets of Islamic Republic of Iran's foreign policy for several reasons. This means that, in addition to the existence of Southern long boundaries, other geopolitical phenomena in this region has caused more meticulous use of foreign policy means. Huge fuel resources and their accessibility for all other countries in the region have added significance to Persian Gulf more than anything else. The existence of shared gas and oil fields, competition for marketing and sale, and competition on being the most influential in decision making process in OPEC and foreign investment in this section has caused this geopolitical phenomenon (fossil fuels) to have a remarkable effect on foreign relations of the countries locating in the region. The research methodology adopted is descriptive- analytic and the data- gathering procedure is library and field finding. Although there are naturally some challenges for Iran’s foreign policy regarding Persian Gulf and fossil energy, but they are rather political in nature than technical or legal. Sometimes these challenges have been created as the result of imperfect impression of concepts like security and sometimes as the result of ideological factors or competition to gain power in the region, but they are to some extent surmountable per se and have the potential of turning into constructive opportunities because the two other power-creating factors namely geo-culture and geo-economy possess the capability of resolving geopolitical conflicts such as energy issue. The Results of the research suggest that in those systems which involve a highly specific distinctive factor such as fossil energies, interfering forces will interfere aimed at making their own benefits. Beside of the posing obstacles, these forces tend to escalate existing problems in the region. Consequently, fuel resources have turned into a locus of foreign policy conflict between the US and Islamic Republic of Iran related to the US role playing in the region. In Persian Gulf region, issues related to energy are different in nature. Sometimes, shared field has been the source of these problems and other times competition over production and related issues. Also, the nature of Iran's relations with other countries is variable. Ultimately, after a holistic examination of the three approaches so-called contrast-based, rapport- based, and competition-based regarding Iran's foreign policy toward energy issues, we tried to analyze these challenges. In general, on the one hand, in 20-year perspective horizon, oil-gas industry which is considered as relative advantage for the country, require a large amount of investment in order to precipitate national development. On the other hand, global market needs role playing of Iran the area. Therefore, any approach to foreign policy should be in the direction to the Iran's reaching at the position of superior power in the region in 1404. The aforementioned approach ultimately has been reflected in national development. The regional competition in Persian Gulf on fossil energy pivots around three issues: Shared gas-oil fields in 4 regions in Persian Gulf; In Persian Gulf, Iran possesses several shared oil-gas fields with neighboring countries. There is an intense competition among countries in the region over utilizing these resources. The results show that naturally every country's effort is made toward maximizing their benefits from these resources. In addition, political conflicts between Iran and the interfering forces have made these competitions intensified. Competition over amount of production among Persian Gulf countries; the nature of ongoing conflicts among oil-powers is similar to political conflicts than economic competitions. Because of the matter, it is worth to emphasize that oil market and OPEC will be influenced by these conflicts. Consequently, this factor will affect foreign policy adopted by these countries. Among Persian Gulf countries, Saudi Arabia is the biggest oil producer in OPEC and Iran ranks second in this area. The competition over OPEC presidency among Persian Gulf countries; also, competition over the occupying general secretary position by Iran, not only has improved Iran's image in the international arena, but also Iran will undertake general secretary position. Because of Iran and the US conflicts on the one hand and competition and even enmity of some Arabic countries towards Iran from the other hand has posed obstacles for Iran to reach at such a position.

Undoubtedly, one of the key and most fundamental issues in political atmosphere of the world is the political systems’ instability and stability. Political stability is essential for a political system to achieve its goals. This is why achieving sustainable stability and security is the most important concern of each government and political system. Political stability means that nature of political system remains stable in spite of some fluctuations and transitions. Meanwhile, every dynamic political system having interaction with its internal and external environment is necessarily involved in some tensions and crises and if it cannot settle them, the political system would become instable and will be treated by various threats. Hence, governments are usually seeking to design and perform long- term policies which help their sustainability. Investigation and recognition of variables affecting political system’s instability are among important methods which can contribute to control and handle them. The research is basic in terms of its goal and is descriptive- analytic in terms of nature and method. Data gathering procedure is based on library and field finding. The field study is a questionnaire type, and statistical sample will include experts. Data analysis will be done using qualitative and quantitative analysis methods, and conclusion will be done using the two methods. A review on literatures regarding political system instability reveals that evaluation of the concept is difficult. In fact, evaluation of political instability like assessment of national power is also entangled with such fundamental challenges like: power is a multidimensional concept; variables are multiple and divers; variables have different values; there are some qualitative variables etc. Political instability stems from different origins which as a whole application they make the political system instable. Primary factors causing instability are resulted from different so-called political, economic, social and cultural and such other factors which exist in quantitative and qualitative forms. In other words, each of these variables could hold qualitative or quantitative aspects. Since geo-politicians, political scientists, scholars in international relations and politicians are interested in political instability they have tried to provide a list of those factors affecting political instability. In the research we made effort to recognize the most important variables affecting political system’s instability using investigation scholars’ theories, and then to evaluate the degree of importance of each of these variables. Accordingly, the most important and effective variables respectively were such factors like: political factors including revolutions, coup detat, civil wars, declining the regimes’ legitimacy, repression of people by governing regimes, ethnic-racial riots, and political despotism and dictatorship; socio-cultural factors including urban chaos, social inequity, administrative corruption, lack of civil liberties and extreme ethnic-religious conflicts; and finally economic factor including high rate of unemployment, financial corruption in administrative – political system (bribery, embezzlement, money laundering, etc.), increase in poverty and deprivation and high rate of inflation were the most significant and effective variables.

One of the outstanding features of Iran is the coexistence of various lingual and religious groups living beside each other in throughout the history. Each of these groups in their own share has contributed to the continuation of Iranian civilization, so that to protect the political life of this land in different methods. However, there have been stages in which some levels of tensions have dominated over their relations which have been one of the factors for the competition among the elites to achieve social and political opportunities. Elections as socio-political phenomenon have been a good place for elites to use the ethnic differences to absorb the votes of the ethnic groups. Some of the presidential candidates in order to achieve their goals and to establish a vote base for themselves put their steps beyond the historical and legal realities or cause ethnic tensions and conflicts. Research The research is basic in terms of its goal and is descriptive- analytic in terms of nature and method. Data gathering procedure is based on library findings. The maps and diagrams used in this research have been prepared using GIS and EXCEL software. The research findings based on the results of three recent terms of presidential election in Iran show that there has been an instrumental view towards lingual and religious diversities in the country. This phenomenon which is done to gain maximum votes by electoral candidates, has not been able to put a significant effect on vote basket. But the definite damages of these types of behavior which are deliberately performed would damage the national unity and solidarity. Reviewing the three last periods on putting forth ethnic issues and instrumental view towards lingual and religious diversities, the following cases can be pointed out: 1. Gaining votes in the presidential election in the first step is related to the individuals’ attachment to the dominant discourses and trends in the country. 2. After attachment to political trends, the local and regional attachment has the highest rate of votes for the individuals. 3. The ethnic-based slogans have not been effective in individuals’ success in any period.

In traditional thinking of international relations, power was a one dimensional concept emphasizing on mandatory and structural force regardless of important influence of technology on power. It is very excessive and profound in concept of power. Indeed, power as the ability to do and to influence others is the essential concept in foreign policies of states to initiate and change many political events. There are two approaches to the concept. The first believe that the power is goods that can be achieved and be its owner. The second approach says that no one can be the owner of the power. The power has two hard and soft layers. Military and economic forces as hard power can compel others to change their positions. The soft power is getting what we like by attracting not by punishment or award. During the years after Islamic Revolution of Iran, actions of America have frequently endangered national security of Iran. During the past 7 decades, Iran and USA have been faced with up and downs in their relations. From strategic unity to disconnection of relations and military disputes are in history of the relations of these two countries. Purpose of this research is to identify changes in tools of power and force exertion and its effects on American foreign policies against Iran. This research has a descriptive analytical method and the data needed for this study have been gathered from document resources. The hypothesis of this research is “USA in order for general diplomacy attempts to employ new mechanisms of soft power tools against Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI)”. The indicators of power in USA foreign policies against Iran are different in administrations of Carter, Reagan, Bush (the father), Clinton, Bush (the son), and Obama. Thus, the policies are analyzed differently in each administration. In fact, since the Islamic Revolution of Iran in 1979 the foreign policies of USA against Iran were hostile actions. In the first decade after the revolution the principal policies of USA were military approaches to exterminate the new regime. With a failure of the USA in application of military forces and hard powers against Iran, this country initiated its attacks applying soft power tools. The failure of America in applying hard tools of power and the advent of information and communication technologies with profound changes in the world lead to application of soft tools of power by USA against Iran. Hegemonic behavioral pattern of America is based on principle of American mission or American exceptionalism by which it can have soft and hard intervention. Some of up and down relations of USA and IRI are including military occupation of Iran by USA during World War II, support of Iran in front of Soviet Union, coup against the public administration of Mossadegh, pressure for appointment of some governments, assignment of gendarmerie role to Iran in the region according to Nixon doctrine, attempt to exterminate the new government after revolution, conquer of American embassy in Iran, support of Iraq in attack against Iran, disconnection of diplomatic relations, clandestine efforts for reconstruction of relations, limited military battle in Persian Gulf, devastation of passenger plane of Iran and threats after that, exertion of boycotts against Iran, new efforts again for reconstruction of relations, threats for military attack to Iran, naming Iran in the list of lawbreaker and rebel countries, two sides debates about Iraq, making international pressures on nuclear case of Iran, efforts for revival of negotiations, and virus attack to Iranian computer systems especially that of atomic power plant. It can be concluded that American presidents did not stopped their actions against Iran. These were by different concepts such as human rights, democracy, and American mission. The real manifestations of USA behavior in foreign policy can be seen in strategic actions based on hard tools of power. Recently, the government emphasize on value concepts as sources of power to exert their policies. It also can be said that USA has continued its value oriented actions against Iran using different tools of power appropriate to the global conditions in each time.

Unitary states are faced with heterogeneous elements and consequently regionalist forces because of the vastness and the number of inhabitant that these elements and forces sometimes challenge political system acceptability and states entities. Most of political geography researches in Iran in the domain of literature on cultural diversity have taken from ethnicity concept which its literature has been more in connection with sociology and political science. But country's political geography facts and experiences during history, in particular in current one hundred years, show that the explanation of country's cultural variety needs to take political geography approach. This article, with a political geography’s approach, is based on this assumption that “region and regionalism concepts have a high explanation power in representation the phenomena of cultural-spatial variety of countries having a political unitary system and has dealt with from such a perspective to describe region and regionalism literature in political unitary system. The research methodology adopted is descriptive- analytic and the data- gathering procedure is based on library finding. This research investigated geographical concept of region and types of the regionalism to expound spatial-cultural variety of political unitary systems. Research findings show that cultural and spatial heterogeneous is a part of states and government's nature which is related to the intensity of these heterogeneous and political systems’ function states are involved by regionalism forces which sometimes challenge the state and sometimes the country entity. In this case, cultural and economic regionalism which represents resident's dissatisfaction towards current situation criticizes the state legitimacy and demand to reform dominant approaches. Political regionalism is the most challenging kind of regionalism that national solidarity and spatial unitary of country or state is challenged. From the formation of nation-states, the debate of spatial-cultural variety has been a part of concerns of the political system actors in connection with national solidarity and spatial unity. Political systems which have less spatial-cultural variety have chosen a space political management based on integration. However, research findings show that these countries also encounter with regionalist forces variety more or less. Since different science's approach are heterogeneous related to the different phenomenon, political geography needs such a literature which has connection with spatial-local facts. Hence, region and regionalism approach has a high competence to represent countries spatial-cultural varieties subject. Based on regionalist approach, existence of region and regionalism is a natural phenomenon when would be dangerous and discriminate that cultural and economic regionalism finds a political orientation. So, paying attention to the regional demands can prevent cultural and economic regionalism to become political, and consequently increase national solidarity.

“Sub national entities organization” is the framework of state territorial space as a infrastructure for supplying the national, state and regional security while providing the optimal conditions for balanced development of all state regions. Such a context requires distinguishing and having systematic and comprehensive look at the political organization of space and its factors and components so that it can cover all the current dynamic streams in different levels of space (state) political structure. The present study tries to investigate the “sub national entities organization” with a systematic approach as a system which is the infrastructure of a political (state) structure system, and the life and mobility of other systems continue by flowing on it. Then, tries to present a pattern for political organization of space in the centralized structures. This study is descriptive-analytical in terms of method and fundamental-applied regarding its type. Because of relation between factors and affectivity on networks and regional movement, we have selected systemic method. Collection of information has been made by different methods, generally by library and internet. In systemic method we use State as a system theory by Easton. In this model we have three steps of action which is entrance, process and outcome. So it could show the geographical and political facts of Iran territory. The nature of the divisions of the space is not based on the specified index, So the essence of political segmentation is not clear and political groups are trying to get the maximum benefits for themselves and their adopted group. In systemic approach we have three steps: Entrance: all the indexes and geographical situation in addition to governmental rule. Process: the state which this factors act in territory. Outcome: balance or imbalance in situation of development or stability of country. By this model we could find how many indicators exist in political organization of space and how are them interact together. The result shows that systemic method plays its role in space with two types of balance and imbalance. Hence, systemic approach to the affective factors of organizing the space causes stable spatial relation between them. So it strengthens the state.