The role of clerics and religious scholars in Iraq, increased soft power in the Islamic Republic of Iran

Since enjoying with soft power is currently important for states and political actors, considering the contexts of rising soft power will be crucial. One of the sources of Iran’s soft power in islamic countries and middle east is Shiism and shia scholars. In other words, the presence of shiism and religious scholars around Iran will increase the influence of Iran. In fact, the presence of shiism, religious scholars and active religious schools pave the way of Iran’s activity and maneuvering in islamic countries especially new Iraq. Such factors will bring about solidarity, multilateral relations and prolongation of political- cultural relations as well. Nevertheless, the current paper is trying to analyze the role of Iraqi local religious scholars on expansion of Iran’s soft power. The main hypothesis emphasizes upon the positive attitudes of Iraqi domiciled religious scholars especially Ayatollah Sistani about Iran as well as stable relations with Iran and their prestigious status within Iraq’s society which will increase the levels of Iran’s soft power in Iraq.