Public diplomacy and nation branding in the wake of the Russia–Ukraine War

This academic Forum aims to identify academic concepts, theories, and assumptions from the field of public diplomacy and nation branding, which have been cast in doubt—or need to be re-examined—in light of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. The Forum’s goal is to raise new questions and provoke new inquiries into the complex roles that media, communication, and public diplomacy play in the Russia–Ukraine War, and in military conflict more broadly. Contributors to the Forum also reflect on how a major world event can challenge the foundations of academic thought, be it at the macro level of great power rivalries, or at the micro level of personal emotions and traumas. In order to encourage continued engagement, each of the eleven essays in the Forum, as well as this editorial Introduction, conclude with a section that outlines specific gaps in public diplomacy scholarship and directions for future research.