The article presents the research on the image of Russia in the Iraqi public consciousness conducted on the basis of interviews. The survey of respondents was conducted in March 2023 in Baghdad. The study participants were 75 residents of Iraq of all age categories. The relevance of the research lies in the potential of using the obtained results to correct the image of the country and to build more effective interstate communication. The author used three dimensions for the analysis of Russia’s image: the geopolitical image of the country, the image of the state power, and the image of its population. The survey has revealed some patterns showing how Iraqis perceive Russia, its political regime, its influence in the world, its civilizational identity, and the other components of the image. Based on the data obtained, the author draws conclusion regarding the positive image of Russia in the mass consciousness of Iraqis. This may be due to the experience of Soviet- Iraqi, and then Russian-Iraqi relations, as well as in some cases the perception of the Iraqis of Russia as an antagonist of the United States.
Russia’s image; Iraq; Iraqis collective consciousness; political psychology.