7,823 research outputs found
Weighing Benefits and Costs of Military Action Against Iran
No full textFounding director Ambassador Edward P. Djerejian is a signatory to a recently released report that aims to offer an objective, nonpartisan analysis of the benefits and costs of using military force against Iran. The signatories -- former officials of the U.S. government and professionals in U.S. national security -- believe the report remains consistent with U.S. policy to maintain pressure Iran while holding open the possibility of reaching a political solution, without ruling out the use of military force. The report is published by The Iran Project, a nongovernmental organization that seeks to improve official contacts between the United States and Iranian governments
Executive Summary: Weighing the Benefits and Costs of International Sanctions Against Iran
No full textThe executive summary of a nonpartisan report that aims to offer an objective analysis of the benefits and costs of international sanctions against Iran
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A holistic conceptual model for managing construction logistics in building projects: the case of Iran
No full textLogistics, as a factor that affects the total cost of a product, has attracted attention in many industries. However, construction is behind other industries, such as manufacturing and food, in terms of obtaining value through application of effective logistics management. Some specific characteristics of the construction industry, such as fragmented supply chain, indirect employment, temporary location and matchless products, have prevented organisations utilising logistic management in their projects. In construction, logistics is about the mobilisation of different types of resources to feed the project with the required materials and components at the right time, in the right place, right quantity and right quality. To do so, a new approach to construction logistics should be undertaken that respects the special characteristics of this industry. This research aims to develop a conceptual model based on the current practice of construction logistics in building projects. This model, in addition to complying with the special characteristics of the construction industry, is also adapted to the economic, cultural, technological and environmental specifications of the building sector in Iran. The complexity mindset is adopted in this research which allows considering a construction logistics system as a whole and the system may assert an aggregate behaviour. This approach is called holism and investigates the performance of complex adaptive systems.
The study is focused on the Iranian construction industry as the main source of data collection. To achieve the aim and objectives of the research, a literature review was followed by qualitative and quantitative data collection. This research adopted the complementarity approach that uses qualitative and quantitative strategies in a way that complement each other. In the qualitative phase, twenty four open-ended interviews were conducted with construction practitioners who work in the building sector in Iran. Gathered data was analysed using NVivo. This involves codifying the textual data to find themes, categories and relationships. The results of the first phase were rich and exploratory and explained opinions, norms and attitudes. Based on the results of the first phase, a questionnaire with ten sections was designed to investigate different aspects of construction logistics from wider perspectives by conducting a survey on a large sample. The data gathered from the second phase were analysed in a descriptive manner to provide statistical information about the present practice of construction logistics in the Iranian building sector.
The final product of this research is a holistic conceptual model that has four subsystems: (a) environmental factors (b) operational factors, (c) commercial factors, and (d) managerial factors. Each subsystem has several agents that are different functions of logistics in a building project. The environmental factors include project size and location, peak working seasons, resource conservation and weather conditions. The operational factors discuss technological matters, construction methods, new materials, waste and transportation. The commercial factors encompass the supply chain, finance, economic conditions, material costs, estimation, supplier selection, packaging, purchasing, inspection, and material quality. The managerial factors cover material management, warehousing, material handling, information management, scheduling, delivery, organisation, personnel, knowledge, culture and site layout designing. All of these functions are integrated under the topic of construction logistics model. The model also illustrates the relationships among agents of the system. The developed model, in addition to technical factors, has paid attention to soft factors such as culture, economy and knowledge. The model is adaptable to changing environments and elements may be added or deleted from the system whenever required
It’s complicated: a timeline of Australia–Iran relations in a historical perspective
No full textThis paper seeks to contextualise Australia’s bilateral relationship with the Islamic Republic of Iran upon the 45th anniversary of diplomatic relations, and at a time when the potential for military conflict is escalating.It canvasses key milestones and events in the bilateral relationship from 1945 to the present. It argues that one of the key continuities in the post-1945 relationship has been the difficulty involved in balancing what has traditionally been a relatively strong bilateral trade relationship with Australia’s broader non-proliferation and global security interests. Concern over the nuclear program and state-sponsored terrorism in recent years has shifted the balance in favour of a focus on security issues and, consequently, towards the position of Australia’s key partners (especially the United States (US), United Kingdom (UK), Canada and the European Union (EU)) on sanctions. This ‘rebalance’ will only be sharpened (and the scope to follow a more independent policy diminish) if Iran continues down the nuclear path and the likelihood of a military solution increases. Iran’s continuing resistance to provide appropriate assurances about the objectives of its nuclear program is increasing inter-state tensions in the volatile Middle East region, prompting Israel to strengthen its military capacities in the lead-up to the potential conflict.  
Investigation on Seafood Business in Islamic Republic of Iran
No full textSeafood business is one of the important subjects in fishery activation. It is covered a wide range of fishery activation from the fishing to the table. The fishery production success is depending to the many factors. Without considering the market conditions and suitable trading the fishery activations are not commercial. Therefore considering to the different subjects is necessary. This project is one of the road map seafood processing plans. The aim of this project was to study of the world fishery production, world fish processing, marketing and fish production and treading in Iran by using current different information.Iranian Fisheries Science Research InstitutePublishe
Future of Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline project remains in limbo
No full textPakistan recently reiterated its commitment in going ahead with the Iran-Pakistan gas pipeline project. The agreement for this project was signed in 2010 and was to be completed in 2014. Pakistan asked for a 10-year extension for completion of the 1,900 km pipeline (the reason cited for Pakistan’s delay was US sanctions). The pipeline was to originally extend till India, but the latter pulled out of the deal citing security reasons
Aspects of the social geography of the province of Sistan/Baluchestan, Iran
No full textThe Kordi (Kurd) tribe now living in Iranian Baluchestan would appear to be an offshoot of the far more numerous Kurdish peoples of the north-western Zagros Mountains of Iran-Iraq. The Kordi were settled in their present location possibly in the l6th Century AD, but much more likely in the l8th Century, originally to act as tax-gatherers on behalf of the Shah-in-Shah. For many years they lived as pastoralists (often nomadic), tax gatherers, guardians of the frontier, and by raiding and plunder. Their habitat, round the Kuh-e-Taftan massif (one of the more fertile areas in the extremely arid and topographically difficult region of Baluchestan) allows some agriculture; and since the 1940's especially, the Kordi people have turned increasingly to a settled way of life based on mixed farming - mostly cultivation, with some animal herding. The thesis examines the origins of the Kordi, their geographical environment, social organisation and demography; and considers present and future evolution of this people in a changed and changing Iranian State
The Contribution of Islamic Banking to Economic Development (The Case of The Islamic Republic of Iran)
No full textAbstract
Islamic banking is a new industry which has attracted the attention of many economists in the world regarding its ability to operate successfully and its instruments for mobilising and allocating monetary resources (Deposits). Usually, in the majority of Islamic countries and in some non-Islamic countries, Islamic banking works as one part of a banking system. There are few countries where the banking system is completely Islamic and the Islamic Republic of Iran is one of them. In a country in which the entire system is Islamic there are more questions about its activities. The most important questions are: how can bank managers ensure the Shariah-compliance of banking system activities and how can they contribute to economic development? These are the two main questions of this research.
In order to answer the first question, the Law of Usury-Free Banking in Iran was analysed and it was shown that this law is Shariah-compliant. However, the most important issue is to make sure that all banks in the country work according to the Law of Usury-Free Banking. In order to explore this semi-structured interviews were carried out with twelve interviewees including managers of the Central Bank and commercial banks and researchers. The result of the interviews was the introduction of several instruments used in the banking system of Iran for the supervision of banking activities and to ensure their Shariah-compliance. A new issue in this research is that being Shariah-compliant does not only mean utilising appropriate contracts for each project but also using deposits for the most efficient and profitable projects. This is because banks are the agents of the depositors and therefore they must use their deposits for the best possible projects. The vast majority of interviewees believe that Islamic banking system in Iran works in conformity with the Law of Usury-Free Banking in Iran.
Regarding the second main question, this study utilised both quantitative and qualitative methods in order to obtain sufficient data to analyse it. The secondary data was taken from Iran‘s Central Bank Annual Reports, other Iranian banks‘ reports, the Ministry of Industry, the Ministry of Agriculture and the Statistics Centre of Iran. Although the main period of the study was 1989-2006, in order to make a comparative study the periods 1961-1978 and 1979-1988 were considered in some parts of the study. For a more accurate study, not only were the amounts of deposits and financial facilities in the periods before and after the Islamic Revolution compared, but their ratio to liquidity (M2) and GDP were also compared. Our finding was that Islamic banking was relatively more successful than conventional banks operating before the Islamic Revolution in Iran. One important aspect of the contribution of the banking system in Iran to economic development is direct investment. The Islamic banking system in Iran has carried out thousands of huge projects directly most of which cannot be undertaken by private sector including: highways, petrochemical industries, wood and paper industries, industrial farming and animal husbandry, automobile manufacture, the cement industry, railways and so on. In addition, primary data was collected via semi-structured interviews. The majority of interviewees believed that Islamic banking in Iran has had a positive effect on economic development
Defending the “Satanic Verses” : constructive engagement: British-Iranian relations and the right to freedom of expression (1989-2004)
No full textThis thesis aims to conceptualize what is often referred to in diplomacy, as a policy of “constructive engagement”, by employing neoliberal-institutionalist theories and conflict resolution approaches. The adopted “model for constructive engagement” serves as the theoretical framework and centres on the basic assumption that non-coercive diplomacy coupled with the offer of incentives is best suited at resolving conflict as well as promoting human rights in international relations. Rather than looking at determinants of foreign policy making, the thesis focuses, therefore, on the actual exercise of power and influence in international relations. As such, power, both in terms of a state’s available assets as well as seen as a form causation, is considered the crucial variable in determining diplomatic manoeuvring and negotiation behaviour. The empirical context for the research project is provided by the case of British-Iranian relations during the period from 1989 to 2004. The narrative is divided into two parts: the first one deals with the impact of the fatwa against Salman Rushdie by Ayatollah Khomeini on bilateral relations and investigates British diplomacy towards Tehran, which followed the European Union’s policy of “Critical Dialogue” with Iran. Whilst the promotion of human rights was on the agenda of the “Critical Dialogue”, findings indicate that contrary to other EU member states, most notably Germany, Whitehall was able to genuinely pursuing a policy of “constructive engagement”, demanding meaningful changes in Iranian behaviour. However, findings also show that Britain’s priority was at resolving the “Rushdie affair” and not necessarily at promoting and protecting human rights in Iran. The second part of the narrative looks at the “Comprehensive Dialogue” which was implemented by the European Union in 2000 and established a direct linkage between economic rewards and the improvements of human rights in Iran. Whilst the Iranian government and parliament met EU demands, the country’s maze of power centres, most notably those dominated by hardliners and conservatives, worked against any meaningful improvements in the protection and respect of human rights. Both narratives indicate to what extent diplomacy and negotiations were influenced by domestic constituents, referred to as the Two-Level Game, as well as by asymmetries of interdependence between the EU and Iran. Overall, the data implies that constructive engagement, whilst subject to political and economic interdependence, constitutes an effective form of human rights diplomacy
Changes and Problems of Agricultural Development in Iran
No full textThere has been a big debate on the evolution of agricultural development (AD), the challenges and problems hindering AD in Iran since last decade. This study was implemented in the province of Esfahan and a number of 130 out of 212 agricultural experts from 13 different townships were selected as the target group. Totally 70 experts returned the completed questionnaires. The findings of the study revealed that most of the AD changes have been positive but in a very slow rate. Respondents unanimously claimed that the sustainability in agriculture and maintenance of agricultural lands are the most deteriorating issues during last ten years. With regard to AD problems, they stressed the lack of adequate fund allocated to the Ministry of Agriculture (MAJ) and lack of its power to control beneficiary dealers within the sector, unfair political influence, lack of international contacts and also untrustworthiness of agriculture for private investors as the most problematic obstacles for AD in Iran. They perceived that MAJ has not sufficiently addressed the problems so far, although, there are some promising movements. Experts believed that MAJ is not able to solve the majority of problems alone due to their extrinsic nature
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