World Sociopolitical Studies

WWII and its consequences served to bring a new era of extensive cooperation between the United Kingdom and the United States, leading to the birth of the Anglo-American special relationship (AASR). However, the two countries’ global widespread interests led to inevitable conflicts of interest, mostly favoring the US. Here, the question arises: Why did postwar Britain maintain its attachment to the AASR in times of conflicting interest with America? The paper, motivated by Gidden’s definition of ontological security, discusses that the consequences of WWII not only generated for the UK physical security concerns, but also ontological insecurity. In this respect, postwar Britain, accepting an inferior role, sought a special relationship with the US to consolidate this mutual partnership in order to mitigate its ontological insecurity in the postwar world order. The paper then, by investigating two cases of British-American conflicting interests in Iran, and raising a material-ideational debate, aims to identify the advantages of ontological security theory in explaining Britain’s “mechanism of tolerance” in preserving the AASR. Otherwise stated, through the proposed conceptual framework, the paper explores the way in which ontological security needs shape the postwar UK’s behaviors to prioritize its close relations with the US, regardless of the costs.

The widespread use of the Internet has led to both beneficial and detrimental impacts on adolescents and young adults worldwide. Understanding the factors that contribute to these effects enables the development of culturally appropriate strategies for addressing them at a global scale. The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a global surge in Internet use, particularly among adolescents. This study aimed to explore the prevalence of Internet addiction among adolescents in Iran during the post-COVID-19 period. In this web-based cross-sectional study, 1358 Tehran-based adolescents aged 13-18 completed the Young's Internet Addiction Questionnaire. Findings revealed a 10.3% prevalence of Internet addiction among the participants following the COVID-19 pandemic. Factors such as age of first exposure to the Internet and time spent online were correlated with addiction, while gender played no significant role. Additionally, Internet addiction was significantly linked to recreational use, gaming, and insufficient parental support, but not to educational usage. By comparing the cultural contexts of Iran and other countries, this study determines Iran's standing in terms of Internet addiction and the influence of culture. The implications of the findings suggest the need for policymakers, educators, and healthcare providers to devise effective strategies to combat this emerging public health concern.

The Three Seas Initiative harks back as another version of strategic integration in the Central and Eastern Europe. Based on the Neofunctionalism, a functional-based regionalism is expected to take roots in the region with the spillover effect into the political and institutional levels; therefore, the main question of the research study is: what is the effect of the EU on the regionalism in the Central and Eastern Europe? The hypothesis of this research states that the EU’s highly developed institutional arrangement has led to a specific type of regional arrangement to take place in the CEE under the Three Seas Initiative, which lacks highly supranational institutionalism, even though it maintains high functional and political dimensions. The main research question was investigated using the qualitative method, namely descriptive method within the theoretical framework of Neofunctionalism. Results indicate that while Central European regionalism is under the effect of political and functional spillover as well as spill-around in institutionalization, the divide between Central European conservative and Western liberal values has been used by Eurosceptic parties to accelerate the process.

This study aims to examine the representation of women with disabilities (sensory impairment) in the Indian cinema, focusing on the Hindi speaking Bollywood. Three popular movies shown in Bollywood have been selected in order to investigate the way in which women with disability are represented. The movies include Koshish (i.e. ‘Effort’, (1972), Lafangey Parindey (i.e. ‘Cheeky Birds’, (2010) and Kaabil ([i.e. ‘Capable’, (2017). The year 1970 has been selected as the beginning of the time frame because it is the closest time to the first Bollywood movie (Koshish, 1972), in which a disabled woman is depicted as a leading role. To analyze the movies, Critical Disability Theory (CDT) was selected as the study’s theoretical framework, and Qualitative Content Analysis (QCA) has been applied as the study’s research method. Results reveal that the representation of women with disability has undergone significant positive changes over time, which includes variations in social status, ability and achievements, issues and concerns, patterns of pleasure, presence and acceptance, social attitude, words and phrases used, as well as changes in policies related to women with disabilities.

This article examines the impact of European Union's (EU) Counter-Terrorism Strategy on European security, considering recent developments and challenges. This investigation seeks to answer two pivotal questions: (1) How do varying counter-terrorism approaches impact the effectiveness of European security measures against terrorist threats? (2) How does cooperation or divergence in counter-terrorism strategies influence Europe's broader security environment? The research explores key developments in European counter-terrorism cooperation and analyzes the effects of regional cooperation on European security dynamics, drawing on empirical evidence from recent terrorist attacks and counter-terrorism operations. Findings emphasize the need for a comprehensive and coordinated European counter-terrorism strategy, which addresses immediate security concerns and long-term drivers of radicalization and extremism. The research utilizes the method of Library Resources and Documentary Research, analyzing existing literature, academic publications, reports, and relevant documents related to counter-terrorism strategies, European security, and the interplay between terrorism and counter-terrorism in the region. The article also presents a theoretical framework of institutional cooperation to understand the implications of counter-terrorism strategies on European security. It highlights the significance of intelligence sharing, legal harmonization, capacity-building, and addressing challenges within regional and international collaborations.

significance, as they have grappled with enduring economic and political sanctions imposed by Western powers. Over time, both Iran and Russia have confronted a series of sanctions targeting their economic and financial sectors. In response to the adverse effects of these sanctions, both nations have embraced a strategy of 'resistance.' Experts contend that financial and economic sanctions induce substantial shifts in a country's macroeconomic landscape, prompting the adoption of distinct policies and strategic orientations. Against this backdrop, this research undertakes a comprehensive examination and analysis of the discourses surrounding economic resistance and resilient economies in Iran and the Russian Federation, with a focus on elucidating their commonalities and disparities. The research methodology employed in this study is the SWOT analysis method. Findings reveal that both Iran and Russia, while contending with Western sanctions, have pursued the implementation of resilient economy and economic resistance strategies, respectively. Iran's resilient economy signifies a transition towards long-term economic resilience rooted in religious principles. Conversely, Russia's economic resistance constitutes a short-term response to sanctions driven by political considerations".