The justification of war is a central issue in international relations, and the characteristic political response to war is to adopt a story that offers a degree of explanation. Narratives play a central role in garnering public support for wars to be seen as legitimate. Soft power, which includes sociocultural factors such as the state's image, credibility, shared values, and moral authority, also plays a crucial role. In the digital age, with the rise of social media, diplomacy has transformed and become a primary source of news with unparalleled global reach. Consequently, digital diplomacy has become essential for states to communicate their policy objectives directly to their audience through compelling social media narratives, especially during times of war. There have been few studies examining the relationship between soft power, digital diplomacy, and strategic narratives during wartime. This study uses visual narrative analysis (VNA) to address this gap by analysing eight video tweets published by the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) during the Israeli-Hamas war from October 7, 2023, and the six months after. The results show that the Israeli MFA used strategic narratives to legitimise the war. Notably, they used visual representations to emphasise Israel’s right to self-defence and its proximity to Western ideals, to garner support. Strategic narratives provide a storytelling which invoke the past to illuminate the present and future and create a shared identity in the context of the Israel-Hamas War.

The master thesis deals with a new phenomenon in the world of diplomacy: digital diplomacy. The main objective of this work is to determine whether the digital diplomacy is able to improve the relationship between the American and Islamic civilization. To fulfill this goal, the case study of Digital Outreach Team, of a team of specialists who search the internet and communicate with Muslims with negative attitude towards US, was used. The work is divided into three chapters. The first chapter provides a theoretical introduction to digital diplomacy. The second chapter is devoted to the use of digital diplomacy in the Unied States: a world leader in information and communication technologies, with an emphasis on digitization of activities of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. In the third chapter we find the analysis of the digital activities of the team and assessment of the digital diplomacy on Arab soil.

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This Thesis investigates China's utilization of social media for nation branding and its role in soft power projection in the digital era. Through an analysis of China's strategies on platforms like Weibo, WeChat, and Twitter, the study explores how digital communication shapes China's global influence and perceptions. Key factors influencing China's impact include cultural exchange, adaptability to technological changes, and strategic engagement with diverse audiences. The research highlights China's proactive approach to digital diplomacy, crisis management, and narrative control, emphasizing the country's efforts to enhance its soft power presence. The thesis provides valuable insights for policymakers, scholars, and practitioners navigating the complexities of global diplomacy and influence in the digital age.

Gastronomy belongs among the important elements of the French national identity and at the same time it is one of the main tourist attractions. Which place and why does the gastronomy have among the modern trends of public diplomacy and how is the French gastro-diplomacy formed on the online social media? There are certain long-lasting tensions visible in the French gastronomic discourse, for example between the Republican idea of unity and the foreign policy strategy of supporting diversity. However, historical research shows that these aspects are not excluding one another, they are more like two sides of the same coin. Gastro-diplomacy is then understood as a narrow dimension of the foreign policy, namely as a part of public cultural diplomacy. In the framework of contemporary French gastro-diplomacy, it is possible to observe the employment of modern instruments, such as the communication through online social networks. Combined with the bet on the long-standing good image of French cuisine, it is one of the ways in which France prove successful in the international arena. It is also a sign of strategic behaviour against the standardization of food products. Quantitative and qualitative analysis of Facebook, Twitter and Instagram posts showed that during the period 1. 1. 2009 - 30. 6. 2017,...