The Possibilities of Influence of the Ukrainian Diaspora on Public Opinion During the War

Abstract

The material presented in this article is focused on international relations, public diplomacy and the activities of the Ukrainian diaspora in the conditions of Ukraine's war with Russia. The main purpose of this study is to analyse the nature and possibilities of the influence of the Ukrainian diaspora on the public opinion of the host countries during military operations, in the context of public diplomacy. The author emphasizes that, in order to achieve the main goals in the realization of their national interests, modern tools of public diplomacy are available to countries, which help: firstly, to overcome negative images of their past, secondly, to spread their values and model and, thirdly, widely communicate their comparative economic and trade advantages for foreign investment. In the conditions of Russian aggression against Ukraine, the fourth and most important is the need to rally Ukrainians abroad to ensure proper influence on the public of their countries in order to ensure the provision of political, military, humanitarian and other assistance to Ukraine in order to counter the said aggression.

The author examines the concept of public diplomacy, the essence of its forms, some features of cooperation with the diaspora. Special attention was paid to the role of the diaspora in promoting a positive image of Ukraine as a state in the conditions of military operations. The Ukrainian diaspora has shown that it can really influence public opinion in almost all countries of the world. There are many scientists, businessmen, lawyers and marketers in the Ukrainian community who could help formulate strong arguments as to why Ukraine deserves the support of the West. Ukrainian diplomacy should have these arguments at hand, and the diaspora should not just implement them, but clearly establish them in the public consciousness of the host countries. This is not a simple goal, for its implementation, in the opinion of the author, first of all, a clear understanding of what the diaspora is in the modern world, how it cooperates within the framework of the public diplomacy system of Ukraine, what tools and methods of influencing the public opinion of the host country are necessary for it available and how to evaluate such activity.