The third session of the Virtual Routes Colloquium Fall/Winter series hosts Quentin Jalabert from Leiden University. Quentin will present his research on “Positionality and Performance: Intelligence Disclosure in Ukraine’s Nation-Branding Strategy”. Peter Schrijver (Netherlands Defence Academy, Leiden University) will act as discussant.

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Abstract:

The study of intelligence disclosure has largely focused on its role in setting and upholding international norms (Carnegie and Carson 2019; 2020; Pauly and Nutt 2021), its use in coercive diplomacy (Riemer 2021; Sobelman and Riemer 2023), or as a tool to support foreign policy decisions (Dylan and Maguire 2022; Schrijver 2024). This article, however, proposes to move beyond the commonly attributed motive behind some of Ukraine’s intelligence disclosures—namely, the creation of a coherent narrative to garner international support—by engaging with ontological security studies and drawing on nation-branding theory to inform our understanding of Ukraine’s post-2014 strategy to reposition itself within the international system.

It highlights the central role played by intelligence disclosures in the initial success of this strategy in the years following Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. These disclosures enabled Ukrainian authorities to assert their agency and present themselves as an independent, responsible actor in global governance, while simultaneously contributing to the dialectical stigmatization of Russia. This dual effect supported the successful rebranding of Ukraine.

Ukraine’s rebranding is understood here as an effort to break away from the colonial lenses that have historically shaped perceptions of the country’s expected role and assigned position in the international order. Through the Ukrainian case, this article demonstrates that intelligence disclosure can, under certain circumstances, be mobilized by subaltern states as part of a broader strategy to modify their position within international hierarchies.