Public diplomacy in the crossfire: decoding Ukraine's ‘Strategic Self’ during wartime
Journal: International Affairs
Year: 2025

Abstract This article examines the evolving role of public diplomacy in wartime, focusing on how it functions and what shapes its influence on digital publics. Using Ukraine's response to Russia's war of aggression as a case-study, it introduces the Strategic Self framework, composed of two interconnected elements: the Projecting Self, which builds international solidarity through narratives of resilience and shared values; and the Distancing Self, which delegitimizes adversaries by highlighting