مطالب

This research seeks to address whether the European Union (EU) has successfully maintained its strategic autonomy in managing key global issues and crises, a critical element in its decision-making process and a fundamental aspect of the institution itself. The study's conceptual framework centers on the notion of the EU's strategic autonomy, which is analyzed through three case studies: Iran's nuclear issue, the war in Ukraine, and the Gaza crisis. The hypothesis posits that the EU's responses to Iran's nuclear program and the conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza reveal a deficiency in its strategic autonomy. Iran's nuclear issue, after two decades of extensive negotiations and agreements that ultimately failed, represents a key instance where the EU's inability to assert strategic autonomy is most evident. Moreover, the EU's handling of the Ukraine and Gaza conflicts, marked by inconsistencies in its application of soft power and moral-value-based leadership, has further cast doubt on the Union's strategic autonomy. The research findings, derived from these case studies, suggest that without political coherence and a unified diplomatic and political strategy—critical elements of strategic autonomy—the EU will continue to be perceived as a dependent and subordinate actor. This condition is commonly referred to in the academic literature as a "strategic autonomy deficit" or a "political and military sovereignty deficit." The methodology of this research is descriptive and analytical, utilizing data collected from a range of sources, including books, peer-reviewed journal articles, online databases, and authoritative expert opinions.

Despite common interests, historical ties, and mutual needs in areas such as military and economic cooperation, Iran–China relations have not evolved into a decisive level of strategic partnership. Accordingly, the authors of the present article seek to explore this issue through the lens of strategic culture. By examining the key components of the strategic cultures of Both Countries, as well as the internal obstacles and challenges arising from them, this study aims to answer the question: How has the strategic culture of Iran and China, at the domestic level, influenced the development of their strategic partnership? It appears that the absence of a shared perspective among the political elites of Iran and China on various issues has hindered the formation of a decisive strategic partnership between the two countries. The research findings indicate that the role of security considerations and domestic issues—such as differing strategic cultures reflected in policymakers’ perceptions of elements like power, legitimacy, welfare, development, and security—along with internal constraints in both countries, have played a fundamental role in creating obstacles within Iran-China strategic relations. This study employs a qualitative-interpretive methodology with an explanatory approach.

Purpose: The present study aimed to design a framework for recruiting non-teaching educational staff in Iran’s Ministry of Education. Method: The present study pursues a qualitative approach. The statistical population of the research included experts and professors in the field of specialization and the senior managers of the General Department of Education of Semnan province in the academic year of 2023-2024, among which 15 were chosen as the samples using theoretical saturation sampling and targeted sampling. The research instruments were a semi-structured interview and a review of the existing documents on this subject. The collected data were validated using member checking. The data validity was evaluated and confirmed using the quality criterion (reliability). The research data analysis method was thematic analysis in three levels: basic themes, organizing themes and Global Themes. Findings: The data analysis led to the identification of 393 basic themes, 33 number-one organizing themes, and 13 number-2 organizing themes in the field of specialization in recruiting non-teaching educational staff in the Ministry of Education. These themes were categorized under 4 global themes including expertise management with two organizing themes (expertise management and performance management), resource management with four organizing themes (human, time, material, and information), change management with three organizing themes (change in organizational structure, change in competitive atmosphere, and change in attitude), and management of organizational development with four organizing themes (managerial capabilities, human resource planning, creation of specialization culture, and organizational interactions). Conclusion: The use of elite and expert employees in the nonteaching sector of the educational system, as a leading institution in providing extensive services to the general public, depends on the presence of a specialization pattern in the recruitment of non-teaching staff. Identification of specialization criteria in the non-teaching sector, which has been done in this research, helps with the formulation of an appropriate specialization model to employ skilled and specialist staff in this sector.