Resistance Economy (3)

The Leader of Islamic Revolution, Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei, has on several occasions put emphasis on the reinforcement of economic infrastructure and has underlined focusing on this topic of importance in accordance with mid-term and long-term strategies.

In his Iranian New Year message to the Iranian nation, the Leader of Islamic Revolution named the Iranian solar calendar year 1395 as the Year of Resistance Economy: Action and Implementation.

In the science of economics, these concepts form the basis of economic growth; and infrastructures of growth and development.

The Leader of Islamic Revolution, with a complete understanding of the enemy’s economic battle, and the goals of the enemy in intensification of pressures and sanctions against Islamic Iran, has repeatedly reminded that one of the avenues for going through and putting behind this sensitive and fateful phase in time, and attainment of economic security, is to seriously consider the Resistance Economy. Thus, maintenance of economic security and an appropriate understanding of this concept are highly important in solidification of economy against vulnerabilities.

Today, several threats are posed against national security, such as the soft war, economic battles within the framework of fall of currency markets, paralysis of the stock market, imposition of sanctions to cause economic insecurity, and/or instigation of acts of sabotage against science-based economic growth, in addition to obstruction of access to the state-of-the-art technologies.

The economic threats usually emerge in the form of soft war, which is controlled and guided via semi-concealed approaches such as prolongation of countries’ economic dependence. These approaches change in accordance to global economic developments and conditions and the needs of the targeted communities.

These dependencies were intensified in the aftermath of the termination of World War II and division of the world into two poles under the influence of the East and the West; and the countries were practically divided into poor and rich states. In this colonial classification, the resources of weak and fragile countries were more openly looted, and the oil reserves of the Middle East region turned into the driving force behind the economic development of industrial states. This in turn led to the entry of the items produced by industrial states to the Third World countries’ consumption markets, leading to accumulation of wealth and development of the production sector in industrial states.
Generally speaking, the goal of Resistance Economy is to achieve economic growth, coupled with reinforcement of the economy. These are two principles in steadfast and resistance against economic pressures. Within this framework, the macro policies of the Resistance Economy have set a number of goals, such as the reinforcement of the production sector.

Some of the key points which have been emphasized in Resistance Economy are reliance upon science-based economy; implementation of the national comprehensive scientific plan; and organization of the national innovation system in order to promote the country’s global status, and enhance production and export of items and science-based services.

The latest figures released on Iran’s share in production of science in the world shows Iranian researchers account for 1.58% of the sciences produced across the globe. This fact in turn proves that the human resources in Iran are highly capable of production of knowledge, but are yet to establish and shape science-based economy, creativity, and innovation within economic complexes.

Today, technology is considered as one of the most important basis for the economic growth and development of countries, and economic security and capacity is one of the indices of economic growth. Based on studies carried out on the experiences of different communities; balanced and sustainable economic and social growth is tied to development of sciences and technology. Hence, it can be said that the science-based economy attaches paramount importance to sciences and knowledge.

Countless economists currently believe that today the volume of capital, and the size of markets no longer play a major role in the economic development of countries, and the economic growth of nations is currently contingent upon the decisive role of science and technology.

Meanwhile, one of the other necessities in establishment of economic stability and security is the diversification of economic relations, and reinforcement of the balance of relations in different domains, in addition to reinforcement of regional economic interactions.

Economic convergence can lead to formation of common markets, removal of obstacles on the way of economic cooperation, and provision of grounds for joint ventures and productions. Thus, economic cooperation and convergence, with due regards to long-term interests, is a must.
After the determination of the 1960s as the decade of development of United Nations; regional economic cooperation, especially among developing countries, gained significant importance. To this end, the countries of Iran, Pakistan, and Turkey decided to boost their economic cooperation. Following the victory of Iran’s Islamic Revolution, this cooperation was maintained within the framework of Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO). In the year 1991, upon the fall of the former Soviet Union, the newly-independent states and Afghanistan joined ECO; raising the number of ECO member states from three countries to ten countries.

The experiences of successful countries show that dynamism, and flexibility of governments and economic models are important prerequisites for resistance against economic and financial crises. In the realm of Resistance Economy, a country which manages to make the best of its inner capacities, and interactions with other economies, is more successful than others.

Many countries have managed to achieve an important status in the scene of global economy via maintenance of long-term plans and reliance upon domestic sources. For instance, among the ten member states of Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), Indonesia’s exports in the year 2012 totaled $204bn.

Another prime example is Japan, which is ranked second in the world in relation to Gross Domestic Product. Deadly blows were dealt against Japan’s economy amid World War II. However, after the termination of World War II, this country focused on its production sector and achieved a fast and steady economic growth. Japan, via prevention of import of foreign goods, and promotion of its industrial workshops, bolstered its domestic industries, making its national industries highly competitive. These industries which were handled and operated by highly skilled personnel and expert industrialists formed the foundation of Japan’s modern and novel industries in the second half of 20^th Century and facilitated that country’s swift industrial development.

The model of Resistance Economy is in fact a new, flexible, and dynamic model which can be Islamic Republic of Iran’s strategy under the current conditions, with due regard to international conditions and circumstances.

The American Enterprise Think Tank officials believe that implementation of the policies of Resistance Economy led Iran to attend negotiations related to comprehensive nuclear agreement in a confident manner, because in case of failure of talks and continuation of sanctions, Iran maintained an alternative option which is Resistance Economy.

Overall, it can be said that Resistance Economy aims to advance national goals and interests within the framework of a resistant, dynamic, and growing economy; which in turn leads to enhancement of security in all domains.

MR/ME