Abstract
The Russo-Ukrainian war has emphasized the issue of the moral dimension of international politics. The rhetoric of the Ukrainian authorities, as well as the moral position of the Ukrainian people in this war, was able, not least thanks to the power of moral argumentation, to obtain Western support for Ukraine. The power of moral influence, based on Kant’s categorical imperative, is considered in this article as the fourth force of international influence (gentle power) along with hard, soft and sharp powers. The article examines the peculiarities of the functioning of gentle power in the context of the Russian-Ukrainian war, reviews the cultural and social structures that allow generating and accumulating this power, and evaluates the possible prospects for the use of gentle power on the international stage.
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Lyubko Deresh
Lyubko Deresh (born in Lviv, 1984) is a Ukranian writer, creative writing teacher and UNDP Ukraine tolerance envoy. In his novels and short stories Deresh, using a variety of genres, explores the metaphysical roots of human consciousness. Deresh has written 11 books that were translated into German, French, Italian, Polish and other languages. Since 2018 Deresh cooperates with UNDP Ukraine in advocating for the strengthening of dialogue in Ukrainian society. Email: [email protected]