The Islamic Revolution in Iran, in addition to changing the political, cultural and social principles and values that govern society and providing a new definition of identity, changed the principles and norms which govern the policies. Confronting a new “other” called Zionism has begun since the triumph of the Islamic Revolution, and it has been over time affected by the evolution of the concept and function of power from hard power to soft power and then its transformation into smart power. Therefore, the Islamic Republic of Iran has changed the areas of its confrontation with the Zionist regime into smart confrontation and a combination of hard power and soft power.
The emergence of the Islamic Revolution in Iran in 1979 created a new identity for Iranians, which, while creating new “others” against the identity of the Islamic Revolution, dramatically changed Iran’s foreign policy approach. Accordingly, the type of positions, relations and international relations of the Islamic Republic of Iran also were changed. In addition to denying imperialism and social-imperialism, Iran rejected Zionism as the new “other” and the agent of imperialism in the region and sought to confront it. Over time and after the communication and information technology revolution, the expansion of political, economic and social ties, the increase of non-governmental actors, etc. hard military power changed into a soft power and hence it emerged within the framework of the smart power which is a combination of the soft and hard powers.
Given the developments of the globalization era, Iran started its confrontation with the Zionist regime in a new form, namely smart power, and also it continues to do so. The importance of this issue is due to the fact that this confrontation has serious consequences for Israel, in a way that the existence of the Zionist regime is threatened because of various threats, including software and hardware threats. Therefore, the purpose of this article is to examine the areas of smart and hard confrontations between the Islamic Revolution and Israel. As far as the soft confrontation is concerned, it is about revealing the fake identity of the Zionist regime and showing its illegality and creating a negative image of this regime. On the other hand, hard confrontation deals with the issues of strengthening the Islamic Resistance Front and favouring putting economic sanctions on Israel.
Nossel was aware that power which means influencing the behaviour of others in order to achieve the desired result, depends on time and place, and following the change in time and place, the concept and function of power will be changed as well. In fact, globalization, developments in communication and information, and changing of the field and type of actors in the international system have weakened the acceptance of hard power in the global arena and demanded a new concept called soft power which unlike the hard military power relied on persuasion and influence not the power of the coercion. However, due to the increasing developments and revealing the limitations of both hard and soft powers, a new power called the smart power was introduced which was a combination of both mentioned powers and compensated for their limitations and inefficiencies. Therefore, Nossel states that the United States must also take steps in this direction and avoids relying only on hard and soft powers.
Nossel spoke of smart power, which means a smart combination of hard and soft powers in the face of threats posed against national security. He believes that the military, economic, cultural and ideological capabilities of the United States should all be put in one direction so that the continuation of the superiority of the United States will be guaranteed. Also, for Joseph Nye, the theory of smart power does neither merely include soft power or hard power, rather it includes both. smart power seeks to present grandeur and an attractive image of itself in this new world and the age of illustration in order to make desirable changes in the behaviours of the actors in this space and create a context for constructive and interactive interaction. From Nye’s point of view, smart power means American power in exploiting various resources, including soft power, with the aim of attracting different countries to share goals without resorting to force, which is limited and inevitably costly. In 2007, Nye, along with Richard Armitage, a former Deputy Secretary of State, chaired a bipartisan commission at the Center for Strategic and International Studies which had been established to develop the concept of smart power. In their detailed report, Nye and Armitage emphasized the importance and necessity of using this type of power. In this report, smart power is defined as the development of a coherent strategy, a resource base, and in fact a tool for achieving goals that include both soft power and hard power. In fact, smart power is seen as an understanding of power that covers and complements the economic, military, and other areas of power and it focuses on five main points. In 2007, Nye and Armitage elaborated on these five points: Partnerships and Institutions, Global Development, Public Diplomacy, Economic Integrity, and Innovation and Technology.
As far as analyzing smart power is concerned, both forms of power should be considered in tandem, rather than separately. For example, smart power might entail long-term attraction alongside short-term use of coercion when necessary. long-term soft power could involve cultivating legitimate and efficient domestic institutions, maintaining a rapid reaction military force on standby, or projecting elements of domestic culture that have universal appeal. It may also come about through consistent outreach to foreign audiences through public diplomacy efforts, such as support for cultural programs or science diplomacy.
Using smart power in the field of international relations requires appropriate tools. It seems that given the revolution that occurred in the field of information and communication and the prominent role that the media play in the international arena, media mechanisms are a good tool for smart power; because instead of targeting the actors, they attack wills, identities, norms and principles and, while destroying the norms and narratives, they can produce and consolidate new narratives and norms and shape behaviours and policies. Therefore, it is a suitable tool for managing the thoughts of politicians and non-politicians, by which one can even change the facts and realities through creating images thereby making an actor seems to deserve credit and praise or disgracing and isolating a country in the public mind.
In addition, collaboration is considered a sign of soft power and is an inevitable part of smart power. Connecting allies to each other in order to converge and achieve common goals, and making alliances with regional and international actors, not only lead to the reduction of the costs of the interventions but also attract more support from them. Cooperation within the framework of regional coalitions and treaties can create a common space that is the reflection of smart power in the strategic area.
Since smart power has been defined as a combination of hard and soft powers, in this field, focusing on hard power and sometimes the use of force is also emphasized, and efforts to strengthen the efficiency of military forces will be obvious; because strengthening and activating the structure of hard power as an important element in national and international security is inevitable, and every country needs to organize its military forces to counter threats. Taking this issue into consideration, smart power is considered a new form of military organization that can also be used as a basis for using that organization as well. Strong and efficient hard power may act as the backbone of smart power and the key to its success; because the military force and its strategies are linked to smart power.
The Areas of the Smart Confrontation Between the Islamic Revolution and the Zionist Regime
As mentioned, since the victory of the Islamic Revolution the Islamic Republic of Iran, while defining Israel as the “other” calling it the al-Quds-occupying regime has entered into an ideological confrontation with it. It should be noted that due to the changing of the international system and the concept of power, the areas of this confrontation have also changed. The Islamic Republic of Iran was aware that dealing with the Zionist regime would not be effective in the form of just one of the two hard or soft powers. Therefore, it has designed and organized its approach in accordance with smart power. Because of enjoying the high potential of Shi’ism as well as playing a key role in the Islamic world, Iran has a considerable soft power by which it could define a coherent and integrated identity of itself and while creating religious socialization inside the country, defines the “other” outside and confronts it through the Islamic Resistance Front.
Defining the identity of the Islamic Revolution based on religious teachings and determining the Israeli enemy as the “other” form the basis of the principle of confrontation, which is strongly and inseparably linked to other spheres of power; because through the security identity friends and enemies, and hence the allies, will be recognized, which shape the behaviours and actions in the international arena. Defining identity can lead to the creation of principles, norms, and values that, by transmitting them to the supporters, alliances will be created in opposition to “others,” and common goals and interests will be clarified. It should be noted that defining the commonalities and presenting them to different actors can create convergence, which may be formed in a framework other than the formal and political formats, including the social and cultural spheres. By defining its identity as a system that seeks justice, fights against global arrogance, defends the oppressed and pioneers the fights against Zionism, the Islamic Republic of Iran has created common grounds between itself and other societies and actors, which contribute to its fight against the identity of the “other” called Israel. This multifaceted and multi-layered strategy has posed a threat to the existence of the Zionist regime in terms of software and hardware. The following is a summary of each of these threats.
Soft Confrontation Between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Zionist regime
The soft confrontation between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the Zionist regime relies more on the issue of delegitimizing the regime. Today, the legitimacy of actors is one of the most important factors in global power and prestige, and in fact, legitimacy is the concept attached to power such that losing it is a serious and existential threat to any actor. The Islamic Republic of Iran has used three basic components in its soft confrontation with the Zionist regime. These include exposing the fake identity of the Zionist regime, delegitimizing the Zionist regime while focusing on the issue of Palestinian refugees, and creating a negative image of the nature of this regime through media diplomacy.
1) Revealing the fake and usurping identity of the Zionist regime
2) De-legitimizing the Zionist regime while focusing on Palestinian refugees
3) Creating negative images of the nature of the Zionist regime through media diplomacy
4) Strengthening the Islamic Resistance Front
5) Calling for the boycott of Zionist goods
Conclusion
Soft power is one of the concepts that is rooted in various developments in the world system in the political, economic and military fields seeking to compensate for the limitations and inefficiencies of the two components of hard and soft powers. Since the Islamic Revolution of Iran has defined its identity and introduced Israel as the “other,” it has used various tools to counter this regime in different periods.
Relying on soft power and using soft and hard powers at the same time, the Islamic Republic of Iran has confronted the Zionist regime. In the field of soft power, the Islamic Revolution by exposing the fake identity of Israel, delegitimizing it through highlighting the issue of Palestinian refugees, and creating a negative image of this regime, is trying to show the illegitimacy of this regime to the world and eliminate its authority. In addition, in the field of hard power, Iran is trying to strengthen the Islamic Resistance Front and guide the Hezbollah Resistance Front as the frontline of the fighting against Israel, so that the myth of the invincibility of Israel will be ended and this regime faces security challenges. On the other hand, the Islamic Revolution, by boycotting the Israeli goods and calling others to do so, has intensified Israel’s economic threats making it being subjected to fundamental economic problems that threaten its existence. Therefore, this confrontation is a security threat that targets the existence of the Zionist regime and can lead to its destruction.
Archive of The Enemies of the Islamic Revolution
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