BULLETIN OF THE INSTITUTE OF ORIENTAL STUDIES

The Issue of the Createdness of the Qur’an and Ibn Taymiyyah's Approaches to It

Seda Tigranyan — 2025-08-04

Ibn Taymiyyah’s (1263-1328), the prominent representative of the Hanbali Madhhab, discussions on the issue of the Qur’an's createdness is part of his struggle against dangerous innovations (bid'a) in Islam. The emergence of the discussed question is associated with theological disputes between Muslims and Christians in the context of the expansion of the Caliphate, the rapid development of the Islamic community and clashes with other cultures. During the Abbasid Caliphate, such questions acquired a political connotation, and the answer options to them were imposed or prohibited at the state level. In his works, Ibn Taymiyyah attempts to clarify and substantiate the approaches of the Hanbali school of thought, freeing them from ambiguity.

An Examination of the US-Led Minilateral Cybersecurity Alliance Against China

Tianping Chen — 2025-08-05

This paper outlines the U.S. cybersecurity strategy under the Biden administration, which emphasizes building an open, free, and secure cyberenvironment and strengthening cyber deterrence and strategic pressure by enhancing cybersecurity cooperation with traditional allies, such as Japan, South Korea, and ASEAN countries. In addition, the U.S. has strengthened cooperation with countries in the Asia-Pacific region in the areas of digital economy and cybersecurity through multilateral mechanisms, such as the Indo-Pacific Economic Framework (IPEF), to ensure that it maintains a leadership position in global cybergovernance. This paper analyzes how the U.S. uses a multi-level and multi-faceted network of cybersecurity cooperation to limit China's influence in global cyberspace, and demonstrates the U.S. strategic intent to maintain dominance in cyberspace and promote regional economic cooperation.

The Second Karabakh War: Turkey's South Caucasus Policy and Iran's Strategic Interests

Mohammad Afrasiyab — 2025-08-06

Turkey, through its neo-Ottomanism policy, has framed the South Caucasus as part of its ethnic and identity sphere, deepening political, economic, and security ties with Azerbaijan under the slogan “one nation, two states.” The security paradigm shift triggered by the 2020 Karabakh conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia allowed Ankara to redefine its operational environment in the South Caucasus, transforming itself into a key regional actor. Turkey’s assertive engagement during the Second Karabakh War and its unequivocal support for Baku have posed significant challenges to the Islamic Republic of Iran’s national interests in the region. This study addresses the following question: What are the dimensions of Turkey’s foreign policy approach in the South Caucasus following the Second Karabakh War, and how will it impact Iran’s geopolitical and geocultural interests in the region? The hypothesis posits that Turkey’s post-war foreign policy—anchored in the Ankara-Baku strategic alliance and driven by ethnic-identity narratives, economic-military integration, and geopolitical ambitions—will undermine Iran’s security, geopolitical, and economic interests in the South Caucasus. Focusing on the period from 2020 to 2023, this research examines Turkey’s regional strategy after the Second Karabakh War, analyzing its implications for Iran’s strategic positioning.

Consequences of the Soviet Ethnic Federalism in the South Caucasus

Elaheh Koolaee — 2025-08-10

The roots of Islam in the beliefs and thoughts of the people of the Caucasus region go back to the seventh century and it has grown during many years in the course of various developments. The creation of the “Green Belt” by the USA during the Cold War also promoted Islamic tendencies in the peripheral regions of the Soviet Union. After the military attack of the Red Army on Afghanistan, Islamist movements had a better opportunity to enjoy the support of the United States of America against the Soviet Union. The resurgence of Islamic trends in the Middle East and West Asia affected the Caucasus region as well. The conditions created by the implementation of Gorbachev's reform policies were also very suitable for Islamism. While the ethnic policies of the Soviet Union and the “ethnic federalism” of the communist system were entering a new stage, Islamism was also strengthened by using the space created by the implementation of Glasnost. The effects of ethnic-racial policies of the Soviet Union on the political- military trends in the Caucasus, after the collapse, is the aim of this review.

The main question of this paper in this paper is: "What effect has the legacy of ethnic policies of the Soviet Union had on the political-military developments of the South Caucasus, considering the factor of “Islam”?" The hypothesis is that: "The legacy of ethnic federalism of the Soviet Union has had a direct and immediate impact on the political-military developments of the South Caucasus, and the Islamic factor is an intervening variable". The methodology of this study is qualitative with a descriptive-analytical approach, using resources accessible in the libraries and the Internet, which are prepared based on scientific researches.

The Modernization of China: Armenia-China Relations

Araks Pashayan — 2025-08-11

On 12 November 2024, the Institute of Oriental Studies of NAS RA, with the support of the Bryusov State University (BSU), organized an international conference entitled “The Modernization of China: Armenia-China Relations.” The conference addressed China's modernization, Beijing's vision for current international relations, global security issues, universal human development, and welfare issues. Moreover, the conference aimed to examine the dynamics of Armenia-China relations, their weak and strong sides, and current tendencies. Researchers from the Institute of Russian, East European, and Central Asian Studies of the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, a major partner of the Institute of Oriental Studies (IOS), Renmin University of China, and Beijing University of Aviation and Astronautics, participated in the conference. From the Armenian side, researchers from the Institute of Oriental Studies of the NAS RA, BSU, the Armenian State University of Economics, and representatives of institutions cooperating with China participated in the conference.