Re-presenting the Role and Function of religion in the International Community of West Asia with an emphasis on the Solidarity-Oriented Approach of the English School

Document Type : Original Article

Authors

1 Associate Professor, Department of International Relations, Faculty of Administrative Sciences and Economics, Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran

2 PhD in International Relations, Faculty of Administrative Sciences and Economics, University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran

Abstract
A large part of international relations theories do not consider religion to have a role. International relations theorists consider the Treaty of Westphalia to be based on a secular approach that stopped the interference of religion in politics and independent countries were formed in such conditions. However, with the presentation of the theory of "international society" of the English school by "Martin White", attention to the role of religion in international relations became more colorful and theorists addressed it under the title of "normativity". Considering the epistemological and ontological foundations of this theory, the question that arises is that if religion has been accepted as a norm by the English school, what "function" does it have in the formation of the international community of West Asia? The hypothesis tested in this paper is that from the perspective of the English School, religion as a norm is influential in the formation of international society, but its role in societies varies, regardless of the degree of religious democracy or not. The findings of the research from the perspective of the English School of solidarity show that in West Asia, since most governments have low legitimacy or sometimes lack legitimacy, civil society is weak and some polar interpretations of religion and its role in politics, as well as the gap in religious interpretations and functions between political systems, have caused the formation of international society in this region to face various challenges.

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