ALBAHITH ALALAMI

Objectives: This study aims to identify the communication methods used by drug dealers in Baghdad, understand the reasons and factors leading to drug abuse among youth, analyze the language and persuasive techniques used to entice young people into drug use, and highlight the psychological, social, and economic impacts resulting from these methods.
Methodology: The study adopted a qualitative exploratory approach, using in-depth interviews as the primary data collection tool. The purposive sample consisted of 15 participants, including drug dealers, drug users, as well as specialists such as anti-narcotics officers, psychiatrists, and journalists. The interviews were analyzed to monitor communication methods and interpret their impacts.
Results: The findings revealed that traditional social relationships remain the most prominent channel for drug promotion. Emotional and psychological vulnerability is among the key factors exploited to attract users. The study also found that the transition from drug user to dealer represents a critical stage influenced by these communication tactics. The research concluded that comprehensive preventive approaches are necessary, focusing on community education, enhancing family supervision, and reinforcing security measures.
Conclusion: The study uncovered complex communication dynamics used to lure youth into drug use, primarily based on exploiting trust and social ties. Despite the widespread use of technology, traditional methods remain the most effective in the Iraqi context. This requires a multidimensional national preventive strategy that combines family awareness, security enforcement, and psychological and social support for young people.

Objectives: The research aims to uncover the rhetorical mechanisms employed by Russian President Vladimir Putin in utilizing soft power tools within his propaganda discourse. It seeks to identify the key soft power instruments emphasized in Russian rhetoric during the Ukraine crisis and analyze the propaganda techniques based on soft power utilization within the context of official Russian political discourse.
Methodology: This research falls under qualitative analytical studies, where the researcher employed Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA), based on Norman Fairclough's three-stage model: text analysis, discourse analysis, and social context analysis. A purposive sample of two official speeches by President Putin was selected: the first is an article published on July 12, 2021, titled "The Historical Unity Between Russians and Ukrainians," and the second is a televised speech delivered on February 24, 2022, coinciding with the start of the Russia-Ukraine war.
Results: The Russian discourse utilized soft power through psychological and emotional influence, linking the present to nationalist historical narratives. Putin relied on symbolic slogans such as "Russian Unity" and "Multinational Russia" to reinforce his political stance, justifying the war on Ukraine as a "legitimate" action to protect Russia's historical unity and culture. The independence of Ukraine was depicted as the result of a foreign conspiracy. The discourse demonstrated the integration of various soft power tools: historical symbolism, cultural influence, diplomacy, economic elements (e.g., gas resources), and military doctrine. Linguistic techniques included threats, intimidation, historical metaphors, religious symbols, euphemism, repetition, and rhetorical questions. Putin successfully rebranded Russia as a "great power," delegitimized the West and Ukraine, and positioned Russia as the protector of shared values and history.
Conclusion: Russian propaganda reflects an advanced use of soft power, integrating symbolic dimensions with modern communication strategies to reshape domestic and international public opinion. The research shows that Putin employed narrative and historical mechanisms to persuade the Russian public and justify Russia's stance internationally, highlighting the effectiveness of soft power as a propaganda tool in contemporary international relations.

Objectives: This research aimed to evaluate the performance of Hussaini media from the perspective of academic and religious elites, identify its strengths and weaknesses, and explore the most prominent opportunities for its development. Additionally, it sought to present practical proposals to advance this specialized media sector, which focuses on covering and transmitting issues and rituals associated with the revolution of Imam Hussain (peace be upon him).
Methodology: The researcher adopted a descriptive (survey) methodology, using an electronic questionnaire distributed to a purposive sample of 300 participants from academic and religious elites in Iraq and other Arab countries. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistical methods.
Results: The findings revealed broad rejection among elites of covering practices that distort the image of Hussaini rituals, such as self-flagellation with swords (Tatbir) and walking on fire. The research also identified key challenges in the performance of Hussaini media, the most significant being the lack of specialization and skills among some workers and the dominance of emotional rhetoric in media messages. The results indicated that development opportunities lie in effective planning, capacity building, and presenting the Hussaini discourse using modern artistic methods. The researcher concluded that while Hussaini media has played a partial role in conveying the values of the Hussaini revolution, its advancement requires a comprehensive professional and methodological review that aligns with contemporary changes and the needs of the target audience.
Conclusion: Hussaini media represents an effective tool for promoting the values of the Hussaini revolution; however, it faces professional and content-related challenges that necessitate a comprehensive review, including capacity building, strategic planning, and ensuring both professional and religious discipline in its workers’ performance.

Objectives: This study aims to determine the extent to which Iraqi radio professionals rely on social media platforms as sources of information, identify the most widely used platforms among media personnel, assess the perceived credibility of content published on these platforms, and measure the level of trust in information that includes audio or visual content shared through social media.
Methodology: The study adopted a descriptive-analytical methodology, specifically using a field survey approach through a questionnaire designed to meet the research objectives. Additionally, personal interviews were conducted with a purposive sample of 100 communication professionals working in the newsrooms of six major Iraqi radio stations. Data were collected from December 27, 2022, to February 13, 2023, considering the geographical, temporal, and functional distribution of the respondents.
Results: The results indicated that Iraqi radio professionals rely moderately on social media as an information source. Telegram ranked first among the most used platforms due to its publishing freedom and ease of video sharing, especially in covering breaking news. Respondents preferred information accompanied by visual or audio content to enhance trust and credibility. Levels of trust varied across platforms, with WhatsApp gaining the highest trust, while Viber ranked lowest.
Conclusion: The study confirms that social media has become a primary information source for Iraqi radio stations in the age of digital media. However, professional use of these platforms still requires caution, particularly regarding the verification of content accuracy. The study recommends enhancing digital verification skills among journalists and updating editorial policies to effectively integrate traditional and digital sources.

Objectives: This research aimed to highlight the semiotic approach in analyzing television advertising, to uncover the hidden and indirect meanings behind the apparent message of the advertisement "Zain Ya Baghdad" through semiotic analysis. It also incorporated cultural analysis using Hofstede's cultural dimensions, to reveal the relationship between text and image and understand the factors influencing the semiotics of the image, given that it contains signs, symbols, rules, and meanings rooted in the prevailing social and intellectual conditions of society.
Methodology: The research stages were conducted by deconstructing the advertisement scenes into individual shots and analyzing them, then reconstructing them to uncover hidden aspects, based on the semiotic analysis approach.
Results: The results showed the dominance of the cultural dimension in the content of the advertisement, which was not merely a direct commercial promotion but was laden with cultural and heritage meanings. Elements of Iraqi identity such as music, locations, characters, language, and clothing were employed to deliver an emotional message about Baghdad. Visual and iconic symbols served the cultural meaning by incorporating traditional professions like coppersmithing and calligraphy, and famous locations such as Al-Mutanabbi Street and traditional cafés, enabling the advertisement to present Baghdad as a unifying cultural and emotional symbol. Additionally, the analysis revealed inconsistencies with some of Hofstede's indicators for Iraq, showing clear discrepancies between the global Hofstede classification and the culture reflected in the advertisement.
Conclusions: Television advertising is no longer merely a promotional tool but has become a medium for constructing cultural symbols and reinforcing collective identity. The study reveals that cultural values in Iraqi society, as represented in the advertisement, partially differ from Hofstede's indicators, reflecting unique local cultural characteristics.

Objectives: This research aimed to study and analyze the propaganda content of the Facebook page "Israel in Iraqi Dialect" to understand the propaganda techniques used, the messages directed at the audience, and efforts to promote normalization between Iraq and Israel through the analysis of the media, political, and social discourse presented on the page.
Methodology: The researcher used content analysis as the main tool for data collection and interpretation, analyzing the page's posts using a content analysis form designed for this purpose, within the framework of thematic units. A sample consisting of 20% of the page's content was selected, relying on a comprehensive census approach to analyze all available content, focusing specifically on the official verified Facebook page managed by the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Results: The study found that the page primarily focused on political propaganda content, which constituted 34.50%, aimed at promoting normalization with Iraq. It also showed significant interest in social content, which made up 23.59%, by engaging in direct dialogue with users to promote "social normalization." The most used approach was direct dialogue and speech to enhance audience interaction, indicating the use of sophisticated and targeted propaganda strategies.
Conclusion: The research demonstrated that the propaganda content of the "Israel in Iraqi Dialect" page primarily aims to renew dialogue and interaction with the audience through clear and transparent strategies, effectively utilizing social media to serve propaganda goals, particularly in the context of normalization and promoting Israeli interests in the region.