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There are several influential factors such as, domestic political structure, leaders, bureaucracy, advisors, history and culture, media, public opinion, think tanks, regional and international context that shape bilateral relations and foreign policy making process. In addition to factors just mentioned, diaspora's role on internal and external affairs is to be emphasized in the relations between Armenia and Turkey. The policy carried out by diaspora is determined mainly by political structure and economic conditions of the host and home country. Armenian diaspora is thought to be not only an integral part of the Armenian national identity but also occupying pivotal role in constructing the same national identity. Moreover, diaspora can hold rather irreconcilable and different positions on Armenia s foreign policy compared to Armenia s formal foreign policy priorities. For that reason diaspora should be considered as the third influential party in the bilateral relations between Turkey and Armenia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines two prominent ideologues, Ali Shariati of Iran and Maulana Maududi of Pakistan, in order to determine their influence on national politics in the second half of the 20th century. Were they only fundamental actors of political Islam in their societies, or did they also have a significant impact on the reformation of Iranian and Pakistani nationalism? If they did, who exactly were Shariati and Maududi, and what are their legacies? In order to answer these questions, this article focuses on the Iranian experience with nationalism before and after the Iranian Revolution (1979) and Pakistani nationalism embedded with Islamism from independence (1947) until the end of the 1980s. In light of Ranajit Guha's concept of hegemony, this article brings to the foreground the possibility of alternative ways of thinking and belonging. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines political developments in Iran, where the ruling regime of mullahs will achieve 30 years in power in 2009. The author discusses the mixture of religious dogma and Iranian nationalism that creates a tension within the country. There is also a strain of western liberalization present that complicates issues of economic prosperity.