Abstract:
Objective: Regional cooperation between Iran and the Muslim countries in the Eurasian region has been an important aim for different Iranian governments especially after the collapse of the Soviet Union and the independence of these countries. Looking at some features of new regionalism theories, the present article aims at considering the role of such an approach in providing an appropriate framework in order to understand the regional cooperation in the Eurasian region. In fact, the main question of the present article is the way Iran and the Eurasian Muslim countries could achieve convergence in identities and norms and also cooperate with each other despite the disparity in defining common interests.
Method: The method used in this study is descriptive-analytical and uses the theoretical framework of neo-regionalism to analyze the areas of cooperation and difference between the two countries.
Result: The author argues that Iran and most of the Eurasian Muslim countries could have achieved a shared definition of identities and norms governing the patterns of their foreign relations with taking advantage of cultural convergent capabilities.
Conclusion: To conclude, the possibility of shaping such a kind of regional cooperation is examined and it seems that based on neo-regionalism framework, this policy will become possible when the level of analyzing the relations between these countries change from a micro-level of bilateral relation or a macro-level of global relations into a middle-level one within a regional relation and in a “Cultural Eurasia” context.
Machine summary:
Keywords: Iran, Identity, Persian Language, Sufism, Neo-regionalism, Eurasia Muslim Countries, Security, Cultural Eurasia Received on 2019/October /25 Accepted on 2020 /January /6DOI: 10.
The answer to this question and actually the hypothesis of the present paper is that "Iran can has come to a common definition of identities and norms with most of the Eurasian Muslim countries, governing the patterns of foreign relations through benefiting the cultural capacities of regional convergence despite heterogeneity of interests in some aspects.
To analyze the possibility of regional cooperation between Iran and the Eurasian Muslim countries, the author will try to explain a theoretical framework based on neo-regionalism theories and then will evaluate Iran’s regional cooperation capacities with a focus on two important cultural elements: Persian language and common mystical teachings.
To demonstrate potential capacities of Iran to develop cultural, economic, political and security partnerships with the Eurasian Muslim countries, among the various cultural components, such as ethnicity, language, religion, customs, art and architecture, common historical background and many more, the author has chosen two important cultural elements that have historically converged people from the Eurasian Muslim territories and today are still a significant part of the cultural identity of many Iranians.
As mentioned in the introduction, to analyze the possibility of regional cooperation between Iran and the Eurasian Muslim countries, the author has tried to explain a theoretical framework based on neo-regionalism theories and then evaluated Iran’s regional cooperation capacities with a focus on two important cultural elements: Persian language and common mystical teachings.