World Sociopolitical Studies

One of the most critical issues in Iran's foreign policy is European countries' foreign policy toward the Iran-US crisis. The hostage crisis in Tehran on November 4, 1979 (Aban 13, 1358 SH) was the first Iran-US crisis to affect Iran's relations with Western countries. This study aims to investigate the following question: "What were the French policies toward the hostage crisis, and how were they formed?" To answer this question, the “strategic autonomy” framework was utilized to comprehend France's foreign policy. This research employs a "historical case study" methodology, which critically analyzes historical documents, such as press documents, official reactions, and diplomatic documents. The findings of this study indicate that the French foreign policy of this period can be analyzed using the concept of "strategic autonomy." In its relations with Iran, France adopted the policy of "independently regulating relations with a third country," "independence in foreign policy decision-making," and "ensuring the well-being of citizens," whereas in its relations with the US, it followed the policy of non-interference in the US's reciprocal crisis with the third party and maintaining economic interests.

The main purpose of this research was to examine the key metrics of the Russian digital economy and influencing factors affecting the digital economy development in Russia during the period of 2010-2020. One-way ANOVA was conducted to compare the three indicators of e-government. Results from LSD statistics indicated that there was a significant difference between the telecommunications indexes and human capital. The correlation matrix of economic influencing factors in Russia in terms of ICT application revealed that there has been a balance between the various economic sectors. Results of the Kruskal–Wallis test demonstrated that there was a significant difference between Russian financial institutions in terms of cyber-attacks. Based on the refinery methods of factor analysis, Pearson's correlation coefficient, and multiple regression model, five variables GDP, GDP per capita, R&D expenditure, cyber security, and consumer price index were removed from the analysis, and the results showed that the human capital has a significant positive impact on the development of the digital economy in Russia. Despite the significant explanatory role of the human capital index, this study strongly recommended considering the other variables, both predictive and control variables, to explain the variance in the development of digital economy in Russia.

With the COVID-19 outbreak, it appears that social research to better understand how people react to epidemics, particularly this one, is a necessity. A lesser-known societal feature of COVID-19 is the trust of Corona patients in modern medical institution. The current study addresses this issue. This study drew on institutional trust theories, most notably Giddens' theory of abstract systems trust. In this study, the qualitative method was applied. Thematic analysis is a qualitative research method which was used. Braun and Clarke's thematic analysis was employed to analyze the data. The statistical population for this study is comprised of Covid-19 patients who have been infected with the virus between the Covid-19 virus outbreak in Iran and September 2020, and 21 of them were chosen through a purposive sampling method. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with these patients. According to the research findings, Corona patients' opinions can be classified into three categories: 'medical science and expertise', 'hospital environment,' and 'medical staff,' with each category containing sources of trust and distrust. The article delves deeper into sub-themes and other details. Among the COVID-19 patients who have been interviewed, there appears to be a boost in public trust in medical personnel. While these patients' trust in medical science and expertise, as well as in the hospital environment, has eroded.

Given the history of conflict between Iran-Iraq (1980-1988), the present paper investigates whether interpersonal contact between Iranians and Iraqis, through religious tourism, has assisted in changing the perception of the Iranians toward the Iraqis. To this aim, the researcher chooses the Arbaeen Pilgrimage—the world’s largest annual gathering in Karbala—and the interaction of the Iranians with Iraqis as its case study. To observe the cultural contact of foot pilgrims to Karbala, the researcher traveled to Iraq in 2019 for five days to participate in a 78 km. walk from Najaf to Karbala. The paper uses semi-structured face-to-face interview as research method.  To account for diverse demographic characteristics of pilgrims, potential participants were approached randomly. Overall, 24 interviews with 14 female and 10 male Iranian pilgrims were conducted. Participants comprised Iranian people aged 14 to 57. Each interview lasted from 20-35 minutes. The paper uses integrated threat theory and Contact Theory to analyze the data. It will be argued that under Gordon Allport four optimal conditions-- i.e., a.) equal status; b.) common goals; c.) intergroup cooperation, and d.) support of social and institutional authorities-- intergroup contact between Iranians and Iraqis has helped in reducing prejudice, while diminishing old hostilities.

Resilience-building within the EU borders is critical to ensure the security of European states. Moldova is one of the target areas for this policy due to the frozen Transnistrian conflict. The primary purpose of this article is analyzing the role of the EU in the Transnistrian conflict and why the EU resilience building activities had limited effects on the ground. The theoretical framework of this study is Mullainathan and Shafer's idea of Scarcity. Scarcity is a broad concept that means "having less than you need." The EU security scarcity has led to a security poverty. Scarcity’s capture of attention affects not only what the EU sees the world, but also the way in which it interprets and understands it. This article hypothesizes that the EU has started tunneling due to the security scarcity for resilience-building in the Transnistrian conflict, and this has led to a decrease in the bandwidth and consequently diminished the resilience-building capacity and conflict resolution in the region. The method of research is case study.

Economic growth is a major goal for developing countries; governments therefore strive to create favorable conditions and allocate necessary resources for the prosperity of their nations. This study examines the impact of International Monetary Fund (IMF) loans, along with other macroeconomic variables, on the economic growth of selected countries in the D8 group. The study utilizes panel data covering the period from 2001 to 2020, and employs a panel data method to investigate the effects of explanatory variables on growth. The research findings indicate that IMF loans have had a positive impact on the economic growth of member countries. Furthermore, IMF loans have contributed to the promotion of structural reforms and trade liberalization, which further enhances economic growth. Other variables, such as foreign direct investment, labor, and exports also had a positive impact on economic growth in the D8 countries. However, an increase in inflation rate has been found to have an adverse impact on economic growth. Therefore, economic policymakers in the D8 countries should seek loans for economic growth from the IMF and invest in projects that promise high returns. This study contributes to the existing literature on the relationship between IMF loans and economic growth in developing countries, and provides valuable insights for policymakers in D8 countries. The findings suggest that prudent borrowing, along with strategic investment in high-return projects, can help these countries achieve sustained economic growth.