<P>This book discusses how the Russian government, greatly concerned about Russia s increasingly negative image in the West, is taking steps through various kinds of public diplomacy to project a more positive image of the country. It examines how the increasingly authoritarian and undemocratic nature of Putin s regime has brought about a negative image of Russia, and it describes how perceptions about Russia in the West are monitored. It considers how Russia is working to improve its image emphasising that Russia is a good place for businesses to invest, a reliable partner, a country with rich cultural traditions, and with a non-imperial attitude to the neighbouring countries which were formerly part of the Russian and Soviet empires. It explores how the effectiveness of these attempts to improve Russia s image can be measured, and concludes that the attempts have been ineffective so far, with negative images of Russia in the West persisting and deepening. "