https://www.isjq.ir/ International Studies Journal (ISJ) en daily 1 Mon, 22 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0330 Mon, 22 Dec 2025 00:00:00 +0330 https://www.isjq.ir/article_231480.html Donald Trump was the first U.S. president to formally implement the doctrine of offshore balancing in American foreign policy. Accordingly, the central question of this article is: how did the strategy of offshore balancing shape the Middle East policy of the Trump administration, and what implications did it generate for Iran’s regional strategy? Throughout both of his presidential terms, Trump consistently pursued policies aligned with offshore balancing. By criticizing his predecessors and rejecting liberal internationalism as the traditional framework of U.S. foreign policy, he elevated American national interests as the overriding priority. In this context, Trump recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, withdrew from the Iran nuclear agreement, reduced U.S. military presence and pulled troops from conflict zones, promoted the Abraham Accords to normalize relations between certain Arab states and Israel, and waged counterterrorism campaigns through reliance on proxy forces combined with targeted lethal strikes. Collectively, these measures transformed the political and security landscape of the Middle East. Such decisions, rooted in the application of offshore balancing, pose a serious strategic challenge for the Islamic Republic of Iran. At the economic level, Trump’s “maximum pressure” campaign inflicted significant strain on Iran’s economy. Regionally, the formation of new alliances and efforts to weaken Iran’s allied groups considerably undermined Tehran’s regional influence. https://www.isjq.ir/article_233807.html This study explores the securitization of Druze identity within the context of the Israeli–Syrian conflict and the transformations triggered by the Syrian civil war. It seeks to move beyond state-centered frameworks by emphasizing the role of cross-border communities in redefining security boundaries. The central question concerns how demographic shifts and displacements caused by the war have influenced the securitization of Druze identity in the Golan Heights, Jabal al-Arab and northern Israel, thereby reshaping the contours of social security. The research hypothesis posits that demographic changes are not inherently crisis-inducing; rather, they become threats when securitizing actors—including the Israeli and Syrian governments, alongside political and media agents—frame them within identity-based discourses of “us” and “other.” The article’s primary objective is to explain the mechanisms through which Druze identity is transformed into a strategic object of security policy. This aim contributes theoretically by enriching the literature on securitization and practically by offering insights into contemporary identity conflicts in the Middle East. The significance of the research arises from two dimensions: first, addressing the theoretical gap in regional security studies, which have largely remained state-centric and second, responding to the practical need to understand the consequences of securitizing dispersed minority identities in contexts where security boundaries increasingly align with identity lines. Methodologically, the study employs a qualitative, explanatory approach, drawing on documentary sources and comparative case studies to uncover the hidden layers of discourse and the representational dynamics of identity. https://www.isjq.ir/article_234996.html In the last two years, the terrorist organization, the Mojahedin Khalq, due to its considerable territorial distance, by exploiting vulnerabilities in the cyber environment, cyber attacks on government infrastructure have emerged. It is obvious that defence against non-state actors is legal, at least in some cases. However, the emergence of new types of terrorism, such as cyber terrorism, which may suddenly endanger international peace and security, has caused international law to lag behind in establishing new rules appropriate to cyberspace. The question raised in this research is: What is the appropriate interpretation of the United Nations Charter in assessing the possibility of Iran resorting to self-defence against cyber attacks by the Mojahedin Khalq Organization, in line with exercising jurisdiction and securing vital national interests? In response to this issue, a descriptive-analytical research method using library tools has been used. Therefore, after examination, the present study concludes that the cyber attacks of the Mojahedin Khalq Organization have not yet reached the point necessary to resort to self-defence. https://www.isjq.ir/article_234999.html Although the principle has always been that the strong actor wins the battle field, sometimes the weak actor has been the winner of the battle field by taking advantage of some advantages; Like the Houthis in Yemen. They have been fighting with the coalition forces led by Saudi Arabia in the domestic arena for years.. During the Gaza crisis, they have tried to play a role in regional issues by taking advantage of Yemen's proximity to the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab strait and to improve their position at this level as well. During Israel's attack on Hamas, the Houthis tried to force Israel to end its attacks by leveraging geopolitical threats. According to these issues, the question that arises is how they took advantage of the dominant geographical position to achieve their goals. In response to this hypothesis, it is proposed that the Houthis, by taking advantage of the geopolitical advantage of maritime dominance and disrupting the process of control and governance of the great powers over the maritime communication lines, threatened their commercial, energy and maritime security and caused their vulnerability. The findings of the research showed that the Houthis, by attacking commercial ships and oil tankers passing through the Bab al-Mandab strait and disrupting the supply and fuel chain, caused the vulnerability of international maritime, economic and energy security and put Israel's western allies in a dilemma, which can be a factor to exert pressure to end Israel's actions. https://www.isjq.ir/article_235937.html In this article, after explaining legal diplomacy, the solution of negotiation from within diplomacy, then by mentioning the challenges and international legal issues related to the case of the accident of flight number 752 of the Ukrainian passenger plane, Therefore, it aims to answer the question that how can legal diplomacy and especially negotiation tools help to manage the tention in the relations between the mentioned governments and resolve the issues and challenges caused by the Ukrainian plane crash regarding the Iranian governments accountability, compensation and restoration of international trust? The hypothesis of the research is that the use of real diplomacy and conducting structured negotiations can pay compensation to the victims of the Iranian governments obligations and accountability, solve problems and solve problems and lead to the resolution of disputes and the reduction of diplomatic tentions between the parties.including multilateral negotiations, as facilitating and effective factors in resolving disputes showing the obtained results indicates that the use of legal diplomacy in solving the disputed problem is relatively useful and effective and the most efficient tool for solving the problem.The present research uses the descriptive- analytical method and the necessary data has been collected through library and professorial methods. In the final part of this research, the nations of the failure of legal negotiations referred the case to the ICAO and issued a verdict.We have examined the Ontario Supreme Court( 2024) and finally we offer suggestions for conducting constructive and result-oriented negotiations and solutions to to resolve the issue. https://www.isjq.ir/article_225581.html The militarization of the Afghan diaspora in the Middle East is an emerging phenomenon that has profound effects on patterns of stability and instability in the region. Using a descriptive-explanatory method and within the conceptual framework of “military diaspora” and relying on a case study of the performance of this diaspora in target countries, this research answers the fundamental question of what impact has the militarization of the Afghan diaspora had on regional stability in the Middle East between 2011 and 2024? The findings indicate that the Afghan military diaspora, in a context of geopolitical change, has played a dual role as a non-state military actor: on the one hand, it has fueled the escalation of violence, political destabilization, and the strengthening of proxy axes, and on the other hand, in some cases, it has appeared as a deterrent against extremism and interventionism. However, the destabilizing effects of this phenomenon are more pronounced than its stabilizing effects on the Middle East region. In addition, the performance of the Afghan military diaspora depends on the context and strategic interests of the host country; therefore, managing this diaspora requires multi-level measures and constructive cooperation between governments and international institutions in the Middle East region. https://www.isjq.ir/article_225579.html The concept of freedom and its permissible domains have sparked significant debate among Muslim intellectuals. Mohsen Kadivar, a contemporary Iranian philosopher, endeavors to demonstrate the compatibility of Islam with the notion of freedom. Kadivar distinguishes between “essential Islam” and “historical Islam.” He posits that historical Islam is characterized by rigid, immutable rules, whereas essential Islam is founded on principles of rationality and spirituality. According to Kadivar, essential Islam not only aligns with many modern freedoms but also introduces a novel form of freedom—spiritual freedom.This raises the question: Is there a distinction between these two forms of freedom? By examining the issue of free sexual relations as a civil liberty, this article argues that Kadivar’s conceptualization of spiritual freedom effectively negates modern freedoms. Kadivar prioritizes spiritual freedom, defined as adherence to religious commitments, over modern civil liberties. Consequently, he ultimately endorses human will and autonomy only within the boundaries of religious doctrine, failing to offer a new resolution to the discourse on the relationship between Islam and freedom. https://www.isjq.ir/article_234995.html Following the end of the Cold War and the formation of a uni-multipolar order led by the United States,emerging powers have shifted from direct military confrontation(hard balancing)to more indirect and subtle strategies,known in international relations literature as soft balancing BRICS, as the most prominent manifestation of these emerging powers,seeks to challenge the power structures established under American leadership after World War II.It does so by creating parallel financial institutions like the New Development Bank(NDB)and the Contingent Reserve Arrangement(CRA),striving for de-dollarization in trade,and coordinating diplomatically in international forums. Instead of direct military opposition,BRICS members have adopted soft balancing strategies, including the establishment of parallel financial and political institutions, coordinated diplomacy,and an emphasis on a particular interpretation of international law rules.This article uses a descriptive-analytical method to answer the question of to what extent BRICS actions are legitimate and legal within the framework of international law,and how do these actions affect various aspects of American hegemony?BRICS's soft balancing strategy, while operating within the boundaries of international law and leveraging the principle of state sovereignty,is increasingly challenging the legitimacy of US hegemony and gradually eroding its foundations by creating institutional and financial alternatives.This paper will analyze the legitimacy of establishing new financial institutions,the compliance of the de-dollarization policy with the rules of the World Trade Organization and the International Monetary Fund,and the legal dimensions of the group's diplomatic coordination. Finally,the article will assess the realworld impacts of this strategy and the future outlook for the international order in light of this new dynamic. https://www.isjq.ir/article_237332.html in recent decades, Hannah Arendt’s perspective on human rights has increasingly attracted attention in philosophical and political scholarship. Extensive studies from various angles—ranging from political philosophy to postcolonial theory—have critically examined Arendt’s understanding of human rights. This article, adopting a conceptual-philosophical and ethical-anthropological approach, seeks to provide a comprehensive reinterpretation and reconstruction of Arendt’s critique of human rights. The central research question is why Arendt fundamentally opposed the conventional concept of human rights, and how this opposition can be understood within the broader context of her intellectual framework. According to the analysis presented, Arendt’s critique of human rights is ontologically rooted: modern human rights, constructed upon the abstraction of the human subject, collapse in the face of twentieth-century historical experiences—particularly statelessness and displacement. Only through a return to the true meaning of politics—as the sphere of action, freedom, plurality, and the manifestation of human beings in the shared world—can fundamental human rights be effectively defended. The research employs an analytical-descriptive methodology, relying on conceptual, phenomenological analysis and close readings of https://www.isjq.ir/article_241339.html AbstractGiven the rapid growth of modern technologies in cyberspace, establishing cybersecurity for individuals, companies, organizations, and governments is of particular importance. Threats such as intrusion attacks, malware, and online scams are increasing, making their countermeasures a necessity. The main aim of this research is to address the key question: the impact of modern technologies on cybersecurity, with a case study of the United States and its interaction with future international order. Using a descriptive-analytical method and Joseph Nye’s theory of smart power, the study evaluates the role of modern technologies in redefining the United States' national and international power. The results indicate that the use of modern technology and smart power enable the U.S. to effectively confront cyber threats and play a crucial role in shaping the future global order. This article analyzes America's strategies in cyber diplomacy and international cooperation, and offers recommendations for other global actors in facing cybersecurity threats.