تاملی بر سیاستگذاری رسانه ای جمهوری اسلامی ایران در مواجهه با جنگ نرم آمریکا در عراق؛ اهداف و راهبردها

در عصر ارتباطات و ظهور جامعه پلتفرمی، جنگ نرم به عنوان یک استراتژی موثر از سوی قدرت های بزرگ در راستای مدیریت افکارعمومی تغییر در ترجیحات تصمیم گیران جوامع هدف، از اهمیت محوری برخوردار گردیده است. در این میان ایالات متحده آمریکا از جنگ نرم به عنوان ابزاری برای تولید و بازتولید اهداف و منافع ملی خود در عراق و منطقه غرب آسیا بهره می برد. با توجه به تحولات پیچیده سیاسی و اجتماعی عراق پساصدام، این پژوهش به بررسی سیاستگذاری رسانه ای جمهوری اسلامی ایران در برابر جریان جنگ نرم ایالات متحده آمریکا در عراق متمرکز است. روش‌ تحقیق پیش رو، تبیین کیفی و مبتنی بر استراتژی روش کیفی گروه کانونی است. این مهم که؛ اهداف و راهبردهای رسانه ای ایران در مواجهه با جنگ نرم ایالات متحده آمریکا در عراق چگونه قوام می یابد؟ سوال و هدف اساسی این پژوهش است. یافته های این پژوهش موید این نکته است که تاسیس و ایجاد یک مرکز تخصصی افکارکاوی در عراق از استلزامات اساسی و ایجابی مهم به منظور اثربخشی و کارآمدی هرچه بهتر هر راهبرد رسانه ای در عراق است چرا که بواسطه تنوع، پیچیدگی و گستردگی قومی و مذهبی در کنار ظهور شکاف های اجتماعی نوپدید در کشور عراق، هر سیاستی بایستی به فراخور و شرایط ویژه هر منطقه از عراق طراحی گردد.

a reflection on the media policy of the islamic republic of iran in the face of america’s soft war in iraq; goals and strategies

introduction: entering the 21st century, the concept of warfare has undergone both functional and substantive transformations, with “soft war” emerging as one of the most critical tools employed by major powers to influence the domestic and foreign policies of other nations. the united states, as a leading actor in interna-tional affairs, has employed various instruments of soft warfare to advance its for-eign policy objectives. in west asia—particularly in the aftermath of the 2003 iraq war—soft war has become a central strategy for washington to weaken regional rivals and shape the region’s socio-political landscape. iraq, as a key country in the region and a significant neighbor of the islamic republic of iran, has become a primary arena for this type of confrontation. the extensive presence of western media outlets, social media platforms, and u.s. public diplomacy initiatives in iraq aims to shift public opinion and influence iran’s behavior within the country. in response, the islamic republic of iran has demonstrated a clear awareness of the significance of soft war and its profound impact on iraq’s political and social dynam-ics. iran’s influence in iraq has been reinforced over time not only due to political and security considerations but also because of the deep cultural, historical, and religious ties shared between the two nations. within this context, the present study is guided by the following central question: how are the objectives and strategies of iran’s media policy shaped in response to the u.s. soft war in iraq?research objectives: this study aims to investigate the media policy of the is-lamic republic of iran in response to the u.s. soft war in iraq. it specifically seeks to answer the main research question: how are the objectives and strategies of iran’s media engagement in this confrontation formulated?method: this research adopts a qualitative approach using the focus group meth-od. fifteen experts specializing in media, security, and policy-making participated in the study. the collected data were analyzed using thematic analysis techniques. findings: the findings reveal that the united states, through media and cultur-al tools, seeks to bring about cultural transformation in iraq, deepen ethnic and sectarian divides, and diminish iran’s influence. in response, iran’s media policy should be grounded in strategies such as image management and branding, rein-forcing iraq’s national and religious identity, legitimizing iran’s presence, support-ing allied movements, and countering u.s. security narratives. strategic priorities also include promoting the islamic lifestyle, producing engaging and culturally resonant media content, and cooperating with iraqi media elites.conclusion: to enhance the effectiveness of iran’s media policy in iraq, it is cru-cial to establish a specialized center for public opinion research and monitoring in key iraqi provinces. moreover, iran’s media policy must harness modern commu-nication technologies to produce localized, entertaining content that aligns with iraqi public preferences. a comprehensive and strategic plan—incorporating both defensive and offensive dimensions—is essential to effectively confront the u.s. media war.