This article examines the narratives surrounding Moscow's full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and beyond. Since the start of the war, Western characterizations of Russia's foreign policy as revanchist and imperialist have been overshadowed by the more successful framing by Russia that its actions were driven by the need to push back on American unipolarity and Western imperialist tendencies. This article examines how the Kremlin's narrative on the war has been embraced by leaders in core BRICS countries, shaping their position vis-à-vis Russia and the war. Drawing on theories of strategic narratives, this article highlights how leaders in China, India, Brazil, and South Africa understand the war and create conditions in which Russia can prosecute its war against a neighbor with their support or acquiescence. The paper concludes with policy recommendations and a brief discussion of why theories of strategic narratives have been underappreciated relative to more standard power-based and materialist explanations of the war's outbreak, scope, and trajectory by scholars of international relations.
Policy Implications
- This article seeks to shed light upon the Kremlin's strategic narratives surrounding the war in Ukraine in order to help explain the global context of Russia's foreign policy toward its neighbor. The successful framing of this war by the Kremlin has not only been useful to justify the war to domestic audiences (which builds support for the war), but also to maintain economic engagement and key relationships in the global arena, especially in core BRICS countries.
- A focus on strategic narratives helps explain why the West has been only moderately effective in convincing others to join its efforts to isolate Russia, through sanctions and other means. This focus also helps policymakers understand why they failed to recognize the signs that war was imminent. In this sense, it addresses the reasons for the blind spot of policymakers in anticipating Russia's actions.
- This article argues that US and European politicians and diplomats should pay more attention to the construction of narratives such that they resonate better in other countries. Emphasizing international law and respect for national sovereignty at the United Nations and drawing on global norms rejecting nuclear threats could help expand the group of countries pressuring Russia to alter its foreign policy toward Ukraine.
- Western diplomats and politicians should take seriously the narratives and identity of top Chinese officials that reveal their desire to play a larger role in global diplomacy. Western officials should also engage China more in efforts to deescalate Russia's nuclear rhetoric and to develop a peace plan acceptable to both Russia and Ukraine.
Image: Ministry of Defense of Ukraine via WikiCommons Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 2.0
_(27843153986).jpg){kind=link}