Networked Public Diplomacy

This article presents Ukraine’s securitization of culture in wartime (2014–24) through the development of cultural diplomacy activities, as a critical element of the country’s national security. It focuses on the Ukrainian Institute as a key actor of foreign policy. Its institutional development is presented and put into perspective with the progressive adoption of the Doctrines of Information Security, or more recently with the National Strategy of Public Diplomacy in 2021. The article underlines the evolution of cultural diplomacy activities since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine by Russia in February 2022. These diversified and consolidated activities are a way to assert Ukraine’s position on the international stage, as a response to Russian aggression and influence strategies. The article argues that the notion of “new public diplomacy” is relevant to study the Ukrainian case, to bring light on public-private partnerships in the field of cultural diplomacy, and proposes the term “networked cultural diplomacy.” Non-state actors—specifically NGOs—are critical in the conduct of these missions, to complement the measures taken by the government. The article focuses on US-Ukraine partnerships. The analysis is based on open-source documents from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, the Ukrainian Institute, and official websites and annual reports of NGOs included in the study.