Thinking diaspora diplomacy after Russia’s war in Ukraine

Abstract

Reflecting upon the implications of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine for the theorization of ‘diaspora diplomacy’, this Provocation uses the concept to frame the conflict and the ensuing power plays. The extent of global community involvement requires the existing diaspora diplomacy definition to account for ‘quadratic nexus’ configuration of ‘home’ and ‘host’ country, respective diasporas and international actor engagement in diaspora diplomacy practice. In reviewing the conflict, and the current response, four themes emerge as central to the ‘quadratic nexus’ configuration and deserving further attention: the politics of labelling, the dynamics of engagement, third-party diasporas and diaspora identities in diaspora diplomacy.