تبیین ابعاد و علایق ژئوپلیتیکی حضور ایران در شاخ آفریقا

شاخ آفریقا عنوان منطقه‌ای در شرق قارۀ آفریقا است که در مجاورت فضاهای دریایی خلیج عدن، تنگۀ باب‌المندب و دریای سرخ قرار دارد و به‌صورت زبانه‌ای به داخل خلیج عدن پیش آمده است. این منطقه از دیرباز ارزش و اهمیت ژئوپلیتیک، ژئواستراتژیک و ژئواکونومیک داشته است و به‌دلیل داشتن این ارزش‌ها، بازیگران منطقه‌ای و فرامنطقه‌ای همواره در تلاش برای حضور و فعالیت در آن بوده‌اند. در چند سال گذشته، ایران با وجود کاهش یا قطع روابط با کشورهای شاخ آفریقا و به‌تبع کاهش فعالیت‌ها، همواره یکی از کشورهای حاضر در این منطقه به‌ویژه در فضاهای دریایی آن بوده است. از این‌رو ضرورت دارد دلایل مسئله از منظر ژئوپلیتیک بررسی و تحلیل شود. در این پژوهش با روش توصیفی‌تحلیلی و رویکرد استنباطی و تحلیل محتوا و با بهره‌گیری از منابع کتابخانه‌ای به تبیین ژئوپلیتیکی دلایل حضور ایران در شاخ آفریقا و فضاهای آبی و ساحلی این منطقه می‌پردازیم. این پرسش مطرح است که در چارچوب مفاهیم ژئوپلیتیک، مهم‌ترین ضرورت‌ها برای حضور و فعالیت ایران در شاخ آفریقا کدامند؟ نتایج پژوهش نشان می‌دهد که مهم‌ترین دلایل ژئوپلیتیکی برای حضور و فعالیت ایران را می‌توان تامین امنیت تردد دریایی، حضور بازیگران رقیب و خنثی‌سازی برخی اقدامات خصمانه، ظرفیت‌های ژئواکونومیک شاخ آفریقا، و موضوع حوزۀ نفوذ و قلمروسازی دانست.

expounding the geopolitical dimensions and interests of iran’s presence in the horn of africa

the horn of africa is the name of a region in the east of the african continent, which is adjacent to the sea spaces of the gulf of aden, the strait of bab almandeb and the red sea, and it protrudes into the gulf of aden in the form of a tongue. this region has long had geopolitical, geostrategic and geoeconomics value and importance, and because of these values, regional and extraregional actors have always tried to be present and active in it. in the past few years, iran has always been one of the countries present in this region, especially in its maritime spaces, despite the reduction or termination of relations with the countries of the horn of africa and the consequent reduction in activities. therefore, it is necessary to investigate and analyze the reasons of the problem from a geopolitical point of view. this research deals with the geopolitical explanation of the reasons for iran’s presence in the horn of africa and the water and coastal areas of this region with a descriptiveanalytical method and an inferential approach and content analysis, using library resources. the main question is, within the framework of geopolitical concepts, what are the most important requirements for iran’s presence and activity in the horn of africa? the results of the research show that the most important geopolitical reasons for iran’s presence and activity can be seen as the security of maritime traffic, the presence of competing actors and the neutralization of some hostile actions, the geoeconomic potential of the horn of africa, and the issue of influence and territorialization.during the recent years and approximately since 2015, iran’s bilateral relations with most of the countries of the horn of africa have suffered a reduction or interruption of political and diplomatic relations due to various reasons. before 2015, there were good relations between iran and the countries of ethiopia, somalia, eritrea and djibouti, but since then, mainly due to the hostile and interventionist actions of iran’s foreign and regional rivals, including the united arab emirates and saudi arabia and offering and granting financial aid to somalia, eritrea and djibouti in exchange for severing ties with iran, these countries decided to cut ties and currently, despite the active presence of this country in the maritime spaces of the gulf of aden to fight against piracy. iran’s effective role in the horn of africa has decreased. of course, in recent years, the approach of the foreign policy of the 11th and 12th government in the islamic republic has also become more and more important, and one of the reasons for the reduction of iran’s presence or weak presence in the horn of africa is related to this issue; this means that since the beginning of the 11th and 12th governments, the development of relations with african countries, including countries in the horn of africa, has not been a priority in the foreign policy of these governments.in this regard, the most important challenges facing iran in recent years in this region can be the occurrence of piracy which has been a challenge for many other countries in the world; the low level of relations or the disconnection of iran’s relations with the countries of the horn of africa and the red sea basin; the presence and influence of iran’s competitors in the countries of the gulf of aden, the strait of bab almandab, the red sea, and the horn of africa; and the absence or weakness of a specific strategy and plan in relation to the horn of africa and its coastal areas in the gulf of aden and the red sea, which each has affected iran’s presence and activity in positive or negative ways.