Iran at a crossroads called Central Asia (case study: opportunities for the near future)

پژوهش ‎های جغرافیای سیاسی

Article 7, Volume 9, Issue 3 - Serial Number 35, October 2024, Pages 143-168   

Document Type: *

DOI: 10.22067/pg.2024.87252.1278

Authors

Elham sabagh¹; Mahnaz Goodarzi^{* 2}

¹PhD student of international relation, Isfahan,(Khorasgan) Branch, Islamic Azad University, Isfahan, Iran

²Associate Professor of international relation, Isfahan,(Khorasgan) Branch, Islamic Azad University, Isfahan, Iran(Corresponding Author).

Abstract

The relations between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the countries of Central Asia, which after the collapse of the Soviet Union, have gained an increasing position in international equations and regional relations, are of great importance because they are a potential source of many threats and opportunities for Iran. Is. Iran's foreign policy in this region, on the one hand, based on the factors of convergence in the political, economic and cultural fields, has enjoyed opportunities and fields of influence and cooperation, and on the other hand, due to the factors of divergence with It has faced challenges and threats, the result of which has always had an impact on the direction of Iran's foreign policy in the Central Asian region. Due to its unique features in the Middle East region, the Islamic Republic of Iran needs to always expand its relations with neighboring countries and neighboring regions. Based on this assumption, in order to identify and explain the identity of the foreign policy in the Central Asia region, the question of this article is: "In what dimensions has Iran's foreign policy in the Central Asia region been successful and in which of them has it failed?" In response to this research, this hypothesis is proposed that "the absence of a multifaceted (flexible) foreign policy considering the contribution of each of the political, economic and cultural sectors has been influential in the successes and failures of Iran's foreign policy in Central Asia". The method of conducting this research is a qualitative descriptive-analytical type, and its data have been collected through documentary library studies and reviewed and analyzed in the framework of foreign policy.

Keywords

Iran; Central Asia; international relations; foreign policy; bilateral interactions

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