Ortadoğu Etütleri

Öz

Today, countries that want to increase their influence in international relations prefer to use soft power and perception management strategies to avoid the costs of military and economic initiatives and to persuade the public by using the power of communication. Shiite geopolitics has an important place in Iran's regional stance and perception management and expanding its sphere of influence. Considered as the keystone of Central Asia, Afghanistan draws attention as a country of high geopolitical importance, which is also divided into two by the historical Silk Road. The effects of the developments in Afghanistan were also felt outside of their own borders due to the region where it is located, so many countries included the developments related to Afghanistan in their own policies. One of these countries is the Islamic Republic of Iran. Iran, bordering Afghanistan, is trying to be active in Afghanistan in the social, political, economic and security fields within the framework of its efforts to expand its regional sphere of influence and ensure its national security. While doing this, he uses various instruments. Iran tries to benefit from ethnic, sectarian, cultural and geographical proximity in these activities. The study’s main purpose is to analyze the perception management strategies implemented by Iran over Shiism in Afghanistan before the 2nd Taliban era, which took over the administration with the USA's decision to withdraw from Afghanistan in 2021. In the study, the perception management elements will be discussed and the influence area of institutions and individuals on Afghanistan will be examined through the cultural, religious and political dimension of Shiism, which is one of Iran's various soft power elements.