نشریه مطالعات قدرت نرم
پیاپی 34 (پاییز 1402)

The world today is the arena of major military, political, health, and economic crises. However, it is called the world order based on the unrivaled power of the United States. But crises bring new ideas that challenge previous views due to their failure to solve problems and open a new way in the hope of new openings. This article begins with the question: based on what signs can we think of a change in the established world order? The hypothesis of the research is that the soft power of the United States of America, as the hegemonic power of the established world order, is declining. Therefore, relying on the library method in collecting information, we will look for evidence that can be used to observe the weakening of the established global order.. In this direction, what causes the weakening of America's soft power in the domestic arena of this country.in the international scene has been processed and discussed using descriptive and analytical methods. Some of the evidence discussed in this article is that, inside the United States, the American Dream, which once illuminated the lives of the citizens of that country and was considered a tool for the American government to advance its domestic and foreign policies, is losing its color. so in the world arena, the call of opposition to the policies of the United States is getting louder every day.

Soft power is reproduced on the basis of components in the target country. Many interactions regarding the scope and extent of the soft power of the United States are being published and ongoing in the virtual space on various platforms. To understand the subject accurately; We have divided the components of soft power in America into two general categories: socialist and elitist: socialist components whose main goal is based on social change and we see its product in the lifestyle processes of people in society. The second category are the components that the American government through organizations and ministries play an essential role in the process of control, supervision and implementation...This research seeks to examine the question of how the United States has played a role and deepened its influence through its soft power components in the 11th and 12th governments (during the presidency of Hassan Rouhani), so the hypothesis that includes these cases is that; Due to the favorable use of soft power components by affecting the level of awareness, changing lifestyles and increasing political demands in the 11th and 12th governments, America has strengthened the foundations of political instability and influence in the political and cultural fields.

The emergence of the Islamic revolution in the Middle East region was able to create a new and revolutionary government in the world, which reveals global oppression and tyranny. Islamic Iran is geopolitically and economically important in the Middle East region, and Western countries, especially the United States, have been forced not to turn away from any conspiracy to protect their interests in the Middle East region. Based on this, they tried to achieve their goals by imposing economic pressures and sanctions in weakening the position of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the world and even inside the country. Therefore, according to the importance of the issue, the supreme leader of the revolution raised economic issues in the slogan of the year in order to raise awareness among experts and ordinary people, and in particular, he placed economic defense at the top of the agenda of the officials of the system. The purpose of this article is to examine the soft power dimensions of economic defense from the perspective of Islam and in the defense thought of Imam Khamenei. In the opinion of the Supreme Leader, economic war is considered both a hard and a soft war, which puts the Iranian nation in a tight spot in terms of economic issues. and the officials of the country should have a prudent resistance against the pressures of the enemy, sanctions and similar things, so that they can pass this period well.

The victory of Iran's Great Islamic Revolution, and its Islamic and transboundary characteristics, in addition to changing the structures inside, has had its reflection abroad with the aim of establishing the foundation for the formation of the "Unified Nation of Islam" in different layers. Among these reflections is a pioneer in the use of soft power in a constructive interaction based on Islamic rationality with adherence to the Qur'an and Atrat, which guides the Muslim Ummah in maintaining its Islamic identity in the path of Muslim unity against enemies in achieving common goals. Descriptive-analytical method will be investigated. What is the initiative of the Islamic Revolution of Iran in using the soft power of religion as the most important factor in the unity of Muslims? The findings of the research indicate that the use of religion by the leaders of the Islamic Revolution has led to the formation of Islamic centers and movements, bringing together Shia and Sunni, collective ijtihad, idealizing the freedom of Palestine, reviving the role of Islam in international relations and rationalizing politics, etc. Common beliefs, ideals and goals are the main elements of the unity of Muslims. Due to the foundations of Islam and the soft power of religion, these partnerships have been formed in confronting the enemies.

Today, soft power has become one of the advantages of political systems in the field of international relations, and the actors of the international environment want to improve their prestige and influence by using the soft face of power in their relations. Exploiting soft power enables them to avoid the financial and human losses caused by the use of hard power, and in this way, they bring the minds and opinions of the international public with them. Countries that have more powerful software components have the possibility to influence more in bilateral or multilateral relations. By raising the question of how the cultural diplomacy of the Islamic Republic of Iran can be analyzed with the approach of soft power, this research has reached the answer that promoting the values of the Islamic Revolution through cultural diplomacy is one of the basic goals of the revolution and the context of its soft power. To explain the problem and answer this question, the theory of soft power was used and it was stated that the values and culture of the Islamic Revolution with universal characteristics such as justice, freedom, independence, arrogance and anti-tyranny, defense of the oppressed and oppressed, And... through various tools of cultural diplomacy such as diplomacy: media, scientific, educational, artistic, tourism, religious and linguistic; and by using the capacity of various organizations, bodies and institutions in charge of culture; and benefiting from efficient human resources; It seeks to create a new order.

In the formation and continuation of confrontations between the United States and the Islamic Republic, in addition to the heterogeneous political interests and identities of the parties, the role of Israel lobbies in the decision-making structure of the United States has been very decisive. Israeli lobbyists in the United States often seek to intensify the strict positions of the American government towards Iran. Despite this general rule, sometimes we see a lack of coordination in the relations of the parties. In this article, based on the descriptive-analytical method, while examining the actions of the Israeli lobbies, the level of influence of the mentioned lobby on the foreign policy of the United States towards Iran in the era of Obama and Trump is investigated. The results of the surveys using the "securitization" theory show During the Obama era, the actions of Israeli lobbies could not prevent the advancement of the government's policies in relation to Iran. While in the Trump era, the role of the aforementioned lobby in applying pressure to implement policies such as canceling the implementation of the JCPOA, applying the policy of maximum pressure, etc. is more noticeable.

A smart city, as the primary factor of sustainable urban development, utilizes various sensors and electronic methods to collect information. The goal is to integrate information and communication technologies with physical devices to optimize urban processes and provide efficient services, fostering communication with citizens. Smart city technology enables direct interaction with the community and urban infrastructure, addressing the city's and citizens' needs promptly.This thesis aims to explore desirable smart urban governance in Tehran, revealing that the fundamental dimensions of governance (participation, partnership, and decision-making systems) are below average. This indicates the weak role and position of citizens in the decision-making system. While most indicators are average, the southern and central parts of Tehran exhibit a less favorable situation compared to other areas, highlighting disparities in various sectors of the city regarding smart city indicators. Therefore, legislating, formulating cohesive policies, and having a long-term vision are crucial for achieving a smart city in Tehran. If realized, this could lead to city improvement, governmental transformation, and an organized change in the government structure.

Lobbying by various governmental and non-governmental actors is an example of soft power in the realm of public or informal diplomacy which is done to influence the decisions and policy processes of governments and international organizations. Controversial issues in the relations between Armenia, Azerbaijan and Turkey in the South Caucasus have been one of the main issues of Armenian diaspora lobbying organizations in America in order to exercise soft power in favor of Armenians and Armenia. The recognition of the claim of Armenian genocide by the Ottoman Empire, the attempt for independence or the integration of the Karabagh region into Armenia, and the imposition of restrictions and sanctions against Turkey and Azerbaijan have been the most important lobbying goals of Armenians in the United States. Considering the role of the United States, its policies have been relatively influenced by Armenian lobbying in some cases. This research, in a descriptive-analytical way and relying on soft power, lobbying and influence theories, questioned the role of the Armenian lobby in the United States and reached the hypothesis that the role of the Armenian lobby in the policies of the United States, specially after the second war of Karabagh in 2020, is not the final determinant, but the American policies in the South Caucasus are a function of the level of the activity of the Armenian lobby on the one hand and the course of developments in the region alongside the transformation of American relations with Turkey and Azerbaijan, on the other.