THE EFFECTS OF THE ISLAMIC REPUBLIC OF IRAN S MEDIA DIPLOMACY ON ISLAMIC AWAKENING WITH AN EMPHASIS ON INT L CHANNELS

With the outset of the Islamic Awakening in Arab countries, regional diplomatic movements in order to direct it in particular ways and repel liable threats as well as utilize the opportunities intensified, and as a consequence, a fierce competition started in the regional and international levels for gaining advantages for the involved parties. The Islamic Republic, as the first country in the region to experience Islamic Awakening in the contemporary era, has the responsibility of familiarizing the peoples of the region with thechallenges and the opportunities ahead as well as giving awareness to those in which Islamic Awakening has not yet taken place. One of the methods of interacting with the regional people is through media diplomacy which has been made possible by the int’l channels. Thus, the aim of this article is to study the media diplomacy of the IRI in the Middle East and North Africa. As a result, this article tries to delve the concept of media diplomacy and Islamic Awakening along with the effect of Iran’s int’l channels, namely, Sahar, Al-Alam, Al-Kowsar and Press TV and in this way, clarify the influences of the IRI on the developments of the region and the Islamic Awakening.