political culture

Political culture represents a society`s widely held, traditional values and its fundamental practices; foreign policy decision makers tend to make policies that are compatible with their society`s political culture because they share, if not all, many of those values. Among the various factors influencing Iran`s foreign policy, the role of political culture seems to be rather underestimated. This article seeks to analyze the role of Iran`s political culture in shaping the country’s foreign policy, through a comparative study of the hardline foreign policy of former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and the moderate foreign policy of current president Hasan Rouhani. Accordingly, this paper`s main question is the following: What is the role of political culture in the change in Iran`s foreign policy during Ahmadinejad and Rouhani’s presidencies? Our main hypothesis is that the oscillation of Iran`s foreign policy between aggressiveness and moderation reflects Iran`s two simultaneous contradictory political cultures. In this theoretical-analytical paper, we apply a descriptive-explanatory method to examine our hypothesis. First, we will have a very short discussion of the various factors shaping Iran`s foreign policy. In the second section, we will shed light on the main elements of Iran`s political culture, which seem to influence the country’s foreign policy. The third section of this article will compare Iran’s foreign policy during President Ahmadinejad and President Rouhani; we will try to demonstrate how Iranian leaders who are stuck in Iran`s contradictory political cultures, have reacted and why. Finally, the impact of Iran`s political culture on its foreign policy change will be analyzed.

Based on eighteen months of ethnographic fieldwork from 2004 to 2006 among a range of Iranian organizations in Washington, D.C., this article argues that the studied organizations were engaged, without being always necessarily aware of it or formulating it as such, in what we may call an “ethos transplant:” a transformation of “Iranian character” and political culture to make it more susceptible to “democracy;”a subject-making project in the Foucauldian sense.  We trace this medicalized discourse about “national traits” and “political culture” to the 19th century and review several outbursts of this approach in the Iranian and international scene thenceforth.  Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel, Dracula, is discussed at length as the epitome of this kind of approach

The present study aims to discuss a macro-narrative in the analysis of development obstacles in Iran. Political culture approach is a structural psychological approach that stresses the decisive role of culture in development and reduces the development obstacles to cultural matters. Its main suggestion is transition from tradition to modernity and its data includes psychological elements, stories and accounts. This approach was adopted by some voyagers (diarists) and diplomats to understand the third world and later some political scientists used this data to form their theories. The important question posed by this study is that why this approach adopted to study Iran and what are its implications and inefficiencies to understand the obstacles of development in this country? The findings of the study show that Macro-Narratives including political culture approach due to reductionism, essentialism, general orientation, lack of attention to the complexities of the societies and other factors are inefficient for analyzing Iran’s developments. Therefore, to understand Iran, one has to bypass the macro-narratives and applies the micro ones. The research method is explanatory by using documentary studies and critique and reviewing the published works within the framework of this approach.

This study investigates political culture in the city of Tehran, focusing on three of its domains including typology of political culture, classification and typology of political citizens, as well as examination of some variables affecting political culture in Iran. The applied research method is in the form of a survey and questionnaire-based data. The study sample size includes 612 citizens residing in Tehran in 2018. Findings show that most citizens are tended to a subject- parochial political culture. It is indicated that political variables i.e. the cost of political activity, government officials’ responsiveness, and institutional political trust are effective on political culture. Using cluster method, the citizens were divided into four categories: critical, obedient, unmotivated, and disappointed. Political culture factors are categorized in three groups by analyzing exploratory factors. These are: pluralistic, value, and involvement -behavioral. Findings show that, citizens have been grown higher in pluralistic, and with value aspects, but are in a low level with behavioral aspect, and this factor could be effective on political culture's type.

The Islamic - Iranian model of progress is a document based on the Iranian-Islamic principles and indigenous values of society, which seeks to achieve the final stage of the new Iranian-Islamic civilization in the future. Looking at development in a systematic way and providing mechanisms for participation and active-voluntary competition of social groups in the general sphere of society, is the focus of this model; thus, the attitude of the ruling political elite is key. The aim of this article is to answer this question: how the political culture of the ruling elites can achieve political development in the Iranian-Islamic model of progress? The hypothesis of the article is that the political culture of the ruling group is the source of political action and behavior in society. Therefore, reforming and improving the attitude of the ruling political elites towards political development within the framework of political and jurisprudential capacities in the religious discourse and the Islamic Revolution, provides the ground for the realization of political development in Iran as a model.  

INTRODUCTION: This sociological study aimed to investigate the impact of political culture on the social solidarity of young people in Tehran. METHODS: The statistical population in this quantitative correlational study included young people who were aged 18 to 35 years in Tehran, Iran. In total, 382 cases were selected using Cochran's sample size formula, as well as cluster and random sampling method. The data were collected utilizing a researcher-made questionnaire the face and content validity and reliability of which were calculated via Cronbach's alpha at 0.80. FINDINGS: According to the results, among the indicators of political culture, political values (with 51% agreement), political knowledge (with 59% at a high level), and political attitudes (towards the political system) (with 66.7% pessimism) were raised by the respondents. The regression test also showed that the variables were able to predict 39% of the total changes of the dependent variable (social solidarity). Therefore, political values (with a regression coefficient of 0.403), political knowledge (with a regression coefficient of -0.340), and political attitudes (with a regression coefficient of 0.338) had the highest regression effects on the dependent variable (social solidarity) in descending order. CONCLUSION: The results showed a significant, positive, and direct relationship of political values and political attitudes with social solidarity. Moreover, there was a significant, negative, and inverse relationship between political knowledge and social solidarity.

INTRODUCTION: The present study aimed to compare the cultural components among the youth in Tehran, Iran with an emphasis on political culture. METHODS: In this quantitative research, a total of 382 youths aged 18 to 35 were selected using Cochran's sample size formula. Simple cluster and random sampling methods were used in this study. The data of the participants were collected using a researcher-made questionnaire. The reliability of the test was calculated with Cronbach's alpha (0.78). FINDINGS: The components of political culture, political value, political knowledge, and political attitude were expressed by the respondents as the most important items with a mean of 3.26, 3.35, 3.21, and 3.24, respectively. CONCLUSION: The results of the research revealed a significant difference between the level of the political culture of youths in each urban area. In addition, a significant difference was observed in the components of political culture (value, knowledge, and political attitude) according to the urban area (north, south, east, west, and center) of Tehran

The defense strategies of each country are a response to regional and international threats. Countries that have historically been under threat and aggression are more concerned about their existential security than other states. Iran's defense system is influenced by its strategic culture in various ways. This political culture, which has been formed and changed by facing numerous threats and challenges, significantly impacts the national defense approach. For this reason, the issue of security and deterrence has been a vital issue for different governments in Iran. Since the Iranian Islamic Revolution, Islam has been the core of the country's security and defense policies. For this reason, understanding Islam's approach to the concept of defense and security in Iran's foreign policy is essential. Consequently, using the discourse analysis method, this research investigates the hidden meaning in the texts to analyze the concept of deterrence in the foreign policy of the Islamic Republic of Iran. This article examines the religious logic of deterrence in the Islamic Republic by evaluating the oral and written documents and fatwas of the supreme leader. The findings of this research show that the nature of Iran's defense strategy in the framework of Islamic thought is based on an active deterrence strategy against regional and international threats and maintaining its second-strike capability to prevent the risk of war against Iran.