Civilizational Diplomacy in the Emerging Post-Polar World Order: An Analytical Framework and the Case of Iran

The transformation of the international system in the twenty-first century has generated extensive debate regarding the nature of the emerging global order. While scholars have described the current transition in terms of multipolarity, post-American order, networked governance, or multiplexity, this article argues that the evolving international environment is more accurately understood as a post-polar world order, characterized by fluid power configurations, overlapping networks of cooperation and competition, fragmented authority, and the growing agency of civilizational states. Against this background, the article examines the implications of post-polarity for foreign policy through the case of Iran’s civilizational diplomacy. It argues that the erosion of hierarchical power structures has increased the importance of civilizational identity, historical legitimacy, and cultural influence as complementary sources of national power. Building upon the concepts of soft power, cultural diplomacy, and civilizational states, the study develops a conceptual framework explaining how Iran employs its historical, cultural, religious, and intellectual heritage to enhance regional influence, strengthen neighborhood diplomacy, expand transregional cultural networks, and construct alternative narratives within the emerging international order. Using qualitative and interpretive analysis, the article demonstrates that civilizational diplomacy represents an adaptive foreign policy strategy through which emerging powers seek to transform cultural resources into diplomatic influence under conditions of increasing global uncertainty. The study contributes to contemporary debates on world order, cultural diplomacy, and post-Western international relations by introducing civilizational diplomacy as an analytical framework for understanding the foreign policy behavior of civilizational states in the emerging post-polar era.

Keywords: Post-polar world order, Civilizational diplomacy, Cultural diplomacy, Civilizational states, Iran, Soft power, Foreign policy.