SYSTEMS THINKING IN DOMESTIC POLICY AND ITS EFFECT ON IRAN’S ACCESSION TO WORLD TRADE ORGANIZATION (2005-2017)

Nejla Bankian
 Ms, Allameh Tabataba’i University, Iran , nejlabankian68@gmail.com

Abstract

According to thinkers, our world view has altered remarkably since Second World War. Prior to such a war, the key to understanding everything was analyzing it both conceptually and physically. As a result of Second World War and its subsequent events, scientists discovered that each of current problems is not completely related to a scientific discipline and cannot be only solved by a field. Indeed, for coming up with solutions to each of these problems, it requires us to create a mutual relationship between different disciplines ‘solutions. In fact, scientists concluded that there are mutual relationships and commons between disciplines and they found out that such an integration in various disciplines is so close to systems behavior. Hence, this new area is known as the systems age. Indeed, systems thinking is an approach that attempts to focus on a system as a whole as well as mutual and complex relationships between its components.

As a result of this issue, it is essential that the politicians implement systems thinking in internal policy. In the other words, the coincide with increasing problems and the significance of the development in the world, many have reached to this conclusion that solving the widespread problems and enhancing development are conditional on cooperation, interaction and coordination between members within a domestic system. Hence, the implementation of the systems thinking will lead to increasing the cooperation and mutual respect between individuals, eliminating the autocratic culture, promoting the democratic ways and increasing the political development. Accordingly, the more an organization (or a country) is unified and coherent, the more we can expect an increased political development in that. In the other words, when there is a significant consensus on group performance and procedures in order to settle dispute in a system, we can easily contend that there is a trace of the political development in that system. Briefly, integration and coordination in a government are one of the crucial factors for increasing the political development. By the same token, as political development is a synonym of democracy, we can treat it as an effective factor on Iran’s accession to WTO. Thus, the governments can expect to join International Organizations which are mainly committed to democratic and liberal principles.

Given these statements, we intend to scrutinize the situation of Iran (as a case study) in terms of the rate of systems thinking in its domestic policy and then explain its effect on Iran’s accession to World Trade Organization. Accordingly, we will answer the main question in this paper: what has been the effect of systems thinking in domestic policy on Iran‘s accession to WTO during the 2005-2017? The author supposes that the lack of systems thinking in Iran’s domestic policy has led to its poor political development and Iran’s full membership in WTO has not been actualized as a result of it. Accurately, during these years, the governments has not attempted to create coordination and interaction among individuals within internal system. Instead, the majority of the units and officials desire to be independent and make essential decisions independently. Hence, we have witnessed the lack of integration and unity in domestic policy as well as little consensus on the significant issues. As a result of this, we have been confronted with a sharp decline in the rate of cooperation, mutual respect between individuals, applying democratic ways and ultimately political development. In fact, the indexes of the political development such as political participation, press freedom and political parties have experienced a remarkable drop in this period and consequently some powerful countries have convicted Iran of violation of the democracy and human rights. Thus, as political development is a synonym of democracy and current global sphere is characterized with democratic elements, it would be a bit far-fetched that Iran join an International Organization like WTO, which democratic and liberal principles has been embedded in its regulations, in the short-term Therefore, in spite of some perspectives that emphasize the importance of economic and legal factors, it is essential to express that political factors like democracy has more effects on Iran’s adherence to WTO. Actually, political development should take place prior to economic reforms and development.

Keywords:
systems thinking, World Trade Organization, political development, Iran, Domestic Policy


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CITATION: Abstracts & Proceedings of SOCIOINT 2019- 6th International Conference on Education, Social Sciences and Humanities, 24-26 June 2019- İstanbul, TURKEY

ISBN: 978-605-82433-6-1