Geopolitics Quarterly

Geopolitics Quarterly

The Role of National Values in Iran's Soft Power and National Security: A Case Study of Iran-Türkiye Geopolitical Competition

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Amir Roham Shojaie 1
Reza Simbar 2
Seyed Hossein Mousavi Kordmiri 3
1 PhD student in International Relations, Department of Political Science, Faculty of Literature and Humanities, University of Guilan, Rasht, Iran..
2 Professor of International Relations, Department of Political Science, Faculty of Literature and Humanities, University of Guilan, Rasht, Iran..
3 PhD student in Regional Studies, Middle East Orientation, Faculty of Law and Political Science, Allameh Tabatabaei University, Tehran, Iran.
10.22034/igq.2025.512008.2024
Abstract
Extended Abstract     
Introduction
The Islamic Republic of Iran, as one of the most significant regional actors in the Middle East, has consistently faced numerous multidimensional threats due to its unique geopolitical, geoeconomic, demographic, and geocultural characteristics. Turkey stands out as one of Iran’s primary competitors, presenting substantial challenges across regions such as the Middle East, Central Asia, and the South Caucasus, particularly in recent years. Turkey’s influence in Iran’s peripheral regions is characterized by a combination of soft and hard power strategies, with a notable emphasis on the strategic deployment of soft power.
Given Ankara’s extensive and active investment in the domain of soft power, the central research question is: To what extent does Iran’s utilization of its national soft-power components—such as the Persian language and literature, along with its historical and civilizational heritage—affect its national security, particularly in the context of geopolitical rivalry with Turkey? The hypothesis under examination posits that the strategic and intelligent deployment of these identity-based resources can not only enhance Iran’s competitive and balancing position in the cultural and civilizational spheres of critical regions such as the Caucasus and Central Asia, but also, by generating attractiveness and legitimacy, contribute to expanding Iran’s geopolitical influence and consolidating the foundations of its national security vis-à-vis regional rivals like Turkey. This research adopts an analytical-explanatory approach and relies on library and documentary sources. Its findings are expected to provide a conceptual framework for formulating more effective strategies in Iran’s foreign policy and cultural diplomacy in its competition with regional actors.
 
Methodology
This study is a qualitative research conducted using an analytical-explanatory approach. Its primary objective is applied in nature, aiming to provide practical strategies for enhancing Iran’s soft power in its geopolitical competition with Turkey. The research findings are organized into three main sections, which also guided the data collection and analysis process. In the first section, the sources of Iran’s soft power were examined. In the second section, by integrating the findings from the first section with theoretical literature, the causal relationship between the utilization of soft power and national security was elucidated, thereby establishing a framework for analyzing this relationship. In the third and final section, the findings from the previous sections regarding Iran were combined with the collected data on Turkey to conduct a systematic comparative analysis of the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats of the two countries in the realm of soft power within the context of geopolitical competition. This comparison was carried out in a comparative framework specifically grounded in soft power.
 
Result and Discussion
This study, by examining the pivotal role of national values in strengthening soft power and ensuring Iran’s national security, highlights several components of Iran’s national soft power that are primarily rooted in its historical and civilizational resources, and seeks to explain how these resources can be utilized to enhance security and expand Iran’s sphere of influence in its surrounding regions, particularly within the broader civilizational sphere of the Persianate world. The structure of the article, following the presentation of the theoretical framework and a review of the literature, is divided into three main sections. The first section examines Iran’s sources of soft power with a focus on national and civilizational resources. While the indicators of soft power extend far beyond the cases discussed, the present article is specifically centered on these elements. The second section addresses the relationship between soft power and national security, and evaluates Iran’s capacity to employ its national sources of soft power. The final section undertakes a case study of Iran and Turkey’s policies in the use of soft power, analyzing Turkey’s soft-power initiatives aimed at advancing its hard-power objectives in the shared peripheral sphere with Iran and in its intense competition with Tehran. Neglecting these dynamics, the article argues, could expose Iran’s national security to potential and serious risks.
 Despite Iran’s possession of unparalleled and deeply rooted identity-based and civilizational assets, the Islamic Republic’s approach to utilizing these resources has largely been superficial, lacking comprehensiveness, strategic planning, and structured implementation. By contrast, Turkey—despite its shallower and historically less comparable cultural and civilizational background—has managed, through the strategic, coordinated, and operational deployment of its soft-power elements, including language, ethnicity, Ottoman heritage, and public diplomacy, to establish an effective presence and expanding influence in Iran’s critical neighboring regions, particularly the Caucasus and Central Asia. Accordingly, the utilization of Iran’s historical and civilizational soft power resources constitutes a security imperative that will directly impact Iran’s national security and the broader security arrangements of its surrounding environment.
 
Conclusion
Following the transformation in the nature and forms of power and the increasing significance of its new dimensions, threats arising from the actions of actors have moved beyond their previously purely military character and have acquired a multidimensional and composite nature. From an identity-based and cognitive perspective, Iran’s surrounding security environment is complex: in certain regions, such as the Middle East, the influence of religious and Islamic components is more pronounced, whereas in other areas, such as Central Asia and the Caucasus, conditions are more favorable for leveraging national values and historical and civilizational resources of soft power. Turkey is  one of the most significant actors challenging Iran from an identity standpoint. By strategically maximizing its soft power resources, Turkey has gained substantial influence in Iran’s peripheral environment and has generated challenges to Iran’s national security, particularly in the South Caucasus and Central Asia.
As is evident, soft power can serve as an effective complement to national security only when it is grounded in a coherent strategy that reflects geopolitical and cultural realities. In this context, Turkey’s activities and its competition with Iran across various domains are not merely cultural endeavors; rather, they create conditions whose outcomes can directly influence strategic depth, spheres of influence, and ultimately, national security. A clear example of such activities can be observed in Turkey’s policies toward the Turkic world. Through redefining identity, history, and culture for Turkic-speaking countries, these policies have directly targeted key components of Iran’s soft power—such as its history, civilization, culture, and literature. By appropriating Iran’s tangible and intangible cultural assets, Turkey seeks to construct a cultural narrative for itself while simultaneously shaping the identity of smaller, aligned actors. Accordingly, and in light of the discussions presented in this article, Iran’s full utilization of its soft power resources should be regarded not merely as a policy recommendation, but as a security imperative for maintaining balance and safeguarding its national security.
Keywords
Soft Power
National Security
Islamic Republic of Iran
Foreign Policy
Geopolitical Competition

Subjects

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Geopolitics Quarterly
Volume 22, Issue 1
Spring 2026
Pages 169-198

  • Receive Date 27 May 2025
  • Revise Date 07 September 2025
  • Accept Date 18 October 2025