Research of the Islamic Revolution

Research of the Islamic Revolution

Examining the Role of International Structures in the Continuity of Contemporary Colonialism: A Civilizational Analysis of Western Colonialism within the Global Hegemony System, Based on the Ideological Framework of Ayatollah Khamenei

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Majid Ghanbari 1
Hamid Fallah-Allahbakhsh Mahalleh 2
Mohammad Rezghjoo-Kasmaei 2
Seyedeh Masumeh Shafiei-Sardabrood 3
1 Department of Educational Affairs and Counseling, Deputy of Cultural and Physical Education, Education Office of Chaboksar District, Chaboksar, Iran.
2 Department of Educational Affairs and Counseling, Deputy of Cultural and Physical Education, Education Office of Rezvanshahr District, Rezvanshahr, Iran
3 Department of Educational Affairs and Counseling, Deputy of Cultural and Physical Education, Education Office of Chaboksar District, Chaboksar, Iran
10.22034/rir.2025.529176.1123
Abstract
Colonialism in the contemporary era no longer manifests merely as military occupation or direct domination; rather, it persists through international political, economic, and cultural structures in a more subtle and pervasive form. This article adopts a mixed-methods approach—combining qualitative and quantitative analysis—to investigate the role of these structures in the continuity of modern colonialism. Drawing on the civilizational perspective articulated in the speeches and ideological framework of Ayatollah Khamenei (May God’s Blessings Be Upon Him), this study critically examines the structural and operational dimensions of contemporary colonialism. The qualitative component is based on a content analysis of religious texts, sermons, and discourses, while the quantitative part utilizes statistical data related to the influence of Western powers in international decision-making bodies, global wealth distribution patterns, and dependency indices among developing countries. Qualitative findings reveal that international institutions such as the World Bank, International Monetary Fund (IMF), World Trade Organization (WTO), and global military-intelligence organizations function as key instruments of contemporary colonialism. These entities sustain Western centrality in the global power axis by imposing development models, managing crises, and spreading Western cultural norms. Quantitative results further demonstrate a statistically significant correlation between the level of economic dependency in developing countries and the extent of foreign influence over their domestic policies (P<0.05). Ultimately, from an Islamic civilizational viewpoint, the article emphasizes the necessity of decolonization at the levels of thought, culture, and structure. It proposes culturally grounded and resistance-based strategies within the framework of the Islamic–Iranian civilizational model to confront indirect hegemony (hegemony without occupation ) and reassert cultural and national identity  under conditions of dependent development  and coloniality
Keywords
Coloniality
Cultural and national identity
Dependent development model
Indirect hegemony
Structural power analysis
Subjects