KUIDAS MÕJUTAB INFOSÕDA AVALIKKU DIPLOMAATIAT? RAHVUSVAHELISE SUHTLUSE KONTSEPTUAALSE RAAMISTIKU KRIITILINE ANALÜÜS

WHAT HAPPENS TO PUBLIC DIPLOMACY DURING INFORMATION WAR? CRITICAL REFLECTIONS ON THE CONCEPTUAL FRAMING OF INTERNATIONAL COMMUNICATION

Abstract

Discussions about state-sponsored communication with foreign publics are increasingly framed in the language of “information war” rather than “public diplomacy,” particularly in Eastern Europe. For example, media projects supported by Western governments to engage Ukrainian audiences, and the efforts of the Ukrainian government to engage international audiences via the media are considered necessary responses in information war with Russia. This article highlights several potentially problematic assumptions about communicative influence that are embedded in the language of information war. First is the assumption that communication can be targeted like a weapon to achieve a predictable impact. Second is the assumption that audiences relate to the communication of an adversary because they are “vulnerable.” Third is the assumption that “winning” in information war means getting citizens to believe particular facts. Although these assumptions may hold to some degree, this article argues that adopting them uncritically may have detrimental consequences in policymaking.