Soft power in the conditions of war: the public diplomacy of Ukraine in the Republic of Lebanon

Abstract

Abstract. Ukraine’s public diplomacy during the war, especially in the past year, has become an unprecedentedly effective tool for conveying what American researcher Joseph Nye defined as a state’s ‘soft power’. Through various tools and focus areas of public diplomacy, Ukraine has successfully raised foreign audiences’ awareness of its attractive aspects: its rich culture, cultural heritage, and traditions with deep historical roots and world-spanning connections to different peoples and countries. These public diplomacy efforts made it possible to demonstrate such bright and strong characteristics of Ukrainian society as heroism, courage, and resilience. For the first time in many years, Ukraine’s political values and ideals became clear and visible to foreign audiences and the leadership of foreign countries. Ukraine began to be identified and acknowledged as a country of freedom and democratic values. The article analyses several successful public diplomacy projects implemented by the Embassy of Ukraine in the Republic of Lebanon under Ihor Ostash, the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine to Lebanon (2016–22), during russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The author details the content of specific unique cultural diplomacy projects that served as a critical element of public diplomacy, highlighting their impact on the Arab and, particularly, the Lebanese audience. Thus, the author emphasizes the methodical nature and valuable outcomes of the Embassy’s work amidst the full-scale russian invasion of Ukraine. The conclusions identify several key aspects that must be considered for the sake of high-quality implementation of public diplomacy. Keywords: public diplomacy, cultural diplomacy, soft power, Republic of Lebanon, Middle East, Arab world, Embassy of Ukraine in Lebanon, Ukrainian-Lebanese relations.