The Soft Power of the I. R. of Iran in the New Iraq: An ‎Assessment

In the contemporary international system, 'soft power' is one of the means the political actors employ to obtain their national and strategic aims and interests. That's a sort of power which is more influential than the 'hard power'. The Islamic Republic of Iran, as a sovereign political actor, employs the means and capacities of its soft power in its regional and international policies to obtain the strategic goals which it deems to serve the national, regional and global interests. Within the security complex of the Middle East, Iraq occupies an important role in foreign policy of Iran. To improve and expand ties with this country, Iran benefits from the capacities of its soft power. The present article aims to study the functions and variables of Iran's soft power in new Iraq in the framework of theory of soft power and its three sources in the area of culture, political values and foreign policy.