Globalization of Communications and National Security of the Islamic Republic of Iran with Emphasis on the Western Border

Abstract

Since globalization in 21th century will have a great impact on the future of human society, it is evaluated and considered as a sensitive issue with high security implications. In this respect, pondering about its nature and consequences of such process has a great importance for the political- social life of the countries. The process of globalization is impossible without development of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT). Although development of ICT provides various facilities, it poses limitations and challenges for the governments, one of them is related to security issues. Nowadays, national security of the counties cannot be guaranteed by fortifying national borders and boosting defensive power alone because the nature of threats has been changed and the national security of states is threatened not only by hard but by only by soft threats. This article which is developed by descriptive-analytic method and qualitative analysis, aimed at investigating the effect of globalization of communications on the national security of the Islamic Republic of Iran. The findings indicted that globalization of communications, while mitigating the traditional role of national borders in controlling and separating Iranian territory from neighbors, has increased bilateral exchanges between dwellers of the two sides of these borders. Considering cultural and linguistic commonalities, these changes can bear both positive and negative security outcomes. It can be argued that development of communications has led to penetration of Iranian western borders, and has faced the country with several security opportunities and challenges.

Keywords

• globalization
• national security
• border
• media
• the islamic republic of iran