“The Image of the State as a Factor in its Positioning in the Modern International System”
Students Name: Nibelska Anastasiia Romanivna
Qualification Level: magister
Speciality: International Relations
Institute: Institute of the Humanities and Social Sciences
Mode of Study: part
Academic Year: 2021-2022 н.р.
Language of Defence: ukrainian
Abstract: In the current conditions of Ukraine’s development, the state’s ability to influence foreign and domestic policy by the power of ideas and purposeful information flows is becoming increasingly important. Along with state development priorities (such as innovation, investment, infrastructure development, etc.) a special place belongs to the image of the state as a necessary condition for its strategic development, a way to protect the interests of the country and its citizens, ensuring domestic and foreign policy support. national security of the country. Realizing the importance and relevance of the formation and maintenance of a positive image of the state in the international arena, recently more and more scholars are paying attention to the problems of forming the image of the state and its bodies. The political image of the state plays an extremely important role in the system of international relations. The success of the country’s foreign policy, the development of trade and economic relations with other countries largely depend on what the image is - positive or negative. The foreign policy image also influences the political processes taking place in the state itself. Thus, the negative image of the country can be used by opposition forces as one of the arguments in criticizing the government and its policies. The object of research is international image of the state. Scope of research – factors shaping the international image of the state as a factor in its positioning in the international system. Goal of research: to study the essence of the concept of "state image", to analyze the factors influencing the formation of the state image, to consider ways to increase the creation of a positive image of the state in the international arena, as well as to consider the positioning of Ukraine’s international image. The image of the state is based on three levels of consciousness of society: mythological, stereotypical, objective. The most important thing in image formation is the stereotypical level. However, it is necessary to take into account the role and importance of the other two levels, which ensure the balance of the structure of the emerging image, its relationship with public expectations and the real state of affairs in the country. Forming the image of the state, positive characteristics, objective advantages and unique features of the state are used as a basis. It should be emphasized that the formation of the state image is possible only in the context of real successes and achievements of socio-economic development of the country, strengthening the authority of the government, its legitimacy, competence, strengthening the fight against corruption. The image of the state cannot be permanent, stable. It must adapt to the requirements of the time, transform along with the development of economic, social, technological, informational and other processes. Each state should be prepared to review its image in circumstances when: – perception of the country does not correspond to the real state of affairs; – there are such external aspects as a radical change in the balance of power on the geopolitical map of the world and a significant strengthening of rivals, directly related to the decline of the authority of their country (for example, the current foreign policy situation in Ukraine); – the state gets the opportunity to position its economy or policy in the international arena in a positive way. Key words: state, state image, foreign and domestic policy, political image, positioning. Referenes. Гринберг, Т. Э. (2008). Образ страны или имидж государства: поиск конструктивной модели. Mediascope. Доступно за посиланням: http://mediascope.ru/node/252. Данаева, З. (2019). Имидж страны. Страновой брендинг. Zakon.kz. Доступно за посиланням: http://www.zakon.kz. Леонова, О. Г. (2008). Роль и значение имиджа страны в условиях глобализации. Университетские чтения, 5, 7-11. Семененко, И. (2005). Образы и имиджи в дискурсе национальной идентичности. Elibrary. Доступно за посиланням: https://www.elibrary.ru/item.asp?id=11635105.