Strategy

Strategy

Strategic Analysis of American and European Influence in Iran with the Aim of Creating Social Change

Document Type : Research Paper

Author
mahmoud asgari
Associate Professor and Faculty Member at the Supreme National Defense University, Tehran, Iran
10.22034/rahbord.2025.541748.1849
Abstract
The subject of this article is the influence exerted by the United States and Europe with the aim of creating social change in Iran. In the current context, where the U.S. and Europe have failed to achieve tangible outcomes through strategies such as sanctions and inciting unrest, they are pursuing efforts to undermine and hollow out the core values of the Islamic Revolution and the Islamic Republic through the strategic implementation of infiltration projects. The aim of this research is to explain the efforts of the U.S. and the West to infiltrate the Islamic Republic of Iran through the mechanism of social change. The research method is descriptive; the research type is developmental in terms of purpose, employing a qualitative approach. Data collection methods include both documentary-library research and interviews. For data analysis, thematic analysis and MAXQDA software were utilized. After coding the interview transcripts, the researcher identified one overarching theme, six basic themes, and thirty organizing themes. The findings indicate that the strategies of the U.S. and Europe for infiltrating Iran via social changes have focused on developing cultural and social capacities and promoting globalized education. The use of the concept of the "global citizen" as an infiltration tool by Western countries—through embassies, cultural institutions, and artistic and educational programs, particularly via public and digital diplomacy—has emerged as one of the main soft power strategies used in Iran in recent years.
Keywords
"United States"
"strategic analysis"
"social change"
"I.R. Iran"
"soft influence"
Subjects
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  • Receive Date 17 August 2025
  • Revise Date 13 December 2025
  • Accept Date 14 December 2025