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Galyna
Piskorska of the University of Melbourne begins her
article with the following words: “I was running from my home
in Kyiv as the Russian army occupied Bucha, Gostomel and Irpin
in the early stages of its invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
"By
accident, I was leaving in a bus that a nearby international
school was using to evacuate its students and staff. We drove
for a long time, spending nights in bomb shelters with young
people and their kids from China, the Middle East and India
who had been studying and working in Ukraine.
"When
the war broke out, Ukraine was hosting tens of thousands of
students from the Global South and was generally viewed as a
partner in many countries.
"But
the war disrupted everything, including public opinion in many
of these same countries. Now, Ukraine is struggling to gain
support in the Global South, which has shown ambivalence about
the invasion and been reticent to cut off ties with
Russia.”
So
how has Russia managed to score such a propaganda victory in
parts of the world, where it has come to be seen by some as
acting in a reasonable manner to protect its strategic
interests? Read
the full article by Piskorska, an expert in public relations,
here.
A
dramatic example of how such an approach to Russia can swifly
play a part in the changing power dynamics of a region came
last week in West Africa. A military coup in Niger appears
likely to benefit the Kremlin, while reducing Western
influence in the country. For more, read the Q&A below
with Leonardo
A. Villalón of the University of Florida.
And
scroll down for more on the Twitter rebrand; an Indian film
that ingited violence against Muslims; and some amazing shark
facts.
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