Preparation of an International Textbook on Public Diplomacy and Peace Journalism Begins at Lomonosov Moscow State University
On October 16, 2025, a session titled “Public Diplomacy and Peace Journalism in the Context of a Forming Multi-polar World” was held as part of the VIII International Scientific Congress of MSU Global Studies. The session was organized by the Russian-African Club of Lomonosov MSU, the Globus-21st Century Research and Education Center of the Global Studies Faculty, and the Department of Global Social Processes and Youth Work of the Global Studies Faculty of Lomonosov MSU.
The main goal of the session was to form an authorial and expert team for the creation of an international textbook „Public Diplomacy and Peace Journalism„.
The session was attended by scholars, experts, government representatives, politicians, public figures, activists of public associations, and journalists from Africa, the Middle East, and Eurasia – representing more than 15 countries. The working languages were Russian, English, French, and Arabic.
The lead moderator Ilya Leonidovich Shershnev, Director of the Research and Education Center “Globus – 21st Century,” Director of Programs of the Russian-African Club of Lomonosov MSU addressed the session participants. He emphasized the need to transition to a new methodological level of international interaction. One way to achieve such interaction is the collective creation of the international textbook “Public Diplomacy and Peace Journalism”. Based on the new textbook, educational programs are to be launched in universities of the participants’ countries to train activists of public organizations who will operate in the context of global transformations in international relations. The new public diplomats will help build a safe multipolar world at the horizontal level, based on justice, mutual respect, and trust.
A welcoming address was delivered by Igor Erikovich Krugovykh, Deputy Head of the Council for Nationalities under the Moscow Government, Head of the international public movement “Mirsozidanie” (World Building). In the expert’s opinion, the moral guidelines and constructive foundation of the future are the preservation and development of national-cultural values of peoples, their right to choose their own path of development, mutual assistance and support against external interference, as well as the preservation of cultural diversity. The international movement “Mirsozidanie” was created to promote these ideas. Mr. Krugovykh emphasized that in a dynamically changing world, it is necessary to define the place and role of public organizations in this process, taking into account the increasingly widespread use of the latest technologies.
Dmitry Valeryevich Polikanov, Deputy Head of Rossotrudnichestvo, made his welcoming speech in which he highlighted the relevance of the event in connection with the celebration of the 100th anniversary of people’s diplomacy. The speaker welcomed the section participants’ aspiration to move towards practical decisions – the most important tools for expanding Russia’s humanitarian influence worldwide. According to Mr. Polikanov, the development of applied projects implemented on various platforms, including Rossotrudnichestvo branch offices officially opened in more than 70 countries worldwide, is particularly important. Partner Russian Houses operate in another 25 countries – a new form of interaction where cooperation occurs at the level of Russian and foreign NGOs.
The head of the branch of the Russian-African Club of Lomonosov MSU in Burkina Faso and other countries of the Sahel Confederation, former cultural attaché of the Embassy of Burkina Faso in Russia, Timbkieta Daniel Savadogo, presented his view on the models, principles, and strategies for building a multi-polar world. According to the Club branch head, multipolarity provides an opportunity for a wider range of states to participate in shaping the rules of the global game. It is based on the principles of sovereign equality, diversification of partnerships, and rejection of the monopoly on truth and power. For Africa, this shift is especially important. Historically, the continent has often been on the world politics periphery, serving as an object of external influence and a battleground for the interests of great powers. A multi-polar world opens a new window of opportunities for African countries – not to be an arena for confrontations of others, but to become an active subject in global construction.
The head of the international department of the Union of Journalists of Russia, Timur Vladimirovich Shafir, noted that modern journalism increasingly faces challenges that make it part of global processes. Journalism influences the perception of reality, relations between societies, countries, and peoples. Therefore, it is so important to talk about journalism as a tool for peacebuilding, a form of public diplomacy. The main task of all peacemaking forces is to protect the truth and preserve the humanistic values that underpin international mutual understanding. Mr. Shafir noted the particular significance of the initiative to create an international textbook on public diplomacy and peace journalism, as it is a highly demanded idea that will help develop a unified conceptual and professional language uniting specialists from different countries.
The Dean of Kaduna State University (Nigeria), Ayodele Babatunde Joseph, presented a presentation that vividly analyzed the political situation in the world from the perspective of the increasing danger of wars and conflicts in various regions in recent years. The author believes that peace journalism can make an important contribution to conflict prevention and resolution. The expert considers the promotion of cross-cultural concepts an effective tool. As an example, the speaker cited the Nelson Mandela humanitarian initiative, which facilitates cultural and academic exchange between countries. This tool of public diplomacy can be used as an approach to peaceful conflict resolution, the speaker emphasized.
Holla Keswa, a journalist, blogger, delegate of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), representative of the Russian-African Club in South Africa, spoke about how he facilitated the distribution and broadcasting of a film about Nelson Mandela on central television channels in South Africa. The speaker expressed his opinion that more activity is needed in disseminating Russia’s humanitarian projects in Africa. In particular, he referred to the Alabuga educational project, which was heavily slandered by Western media and portrayed as human trafficking and the enslavement of women from South Africa, whereas in reality, this project provides opportunities for free education to women from South Africa, regardless of their skin color. Mr. Keswa considers the fight against fakes one of the most important tasks. Also, in his opinion, it is very important to more actively make the African population familiar with Russian humanitarian projects through pro-Russian journalists and bloggers, via social networks and media resources.
A professor at the University of Baghdad, candidate for the Iraqi Parliament, Ali al-Burhan Azzawi, shared his view on current geopolitical changes in the context of the new emerging world order. In the expert’s opinion, the best sign of a multipolar world is the growing role of Russia on the global stage. The speaker believes that the Russian economy is demonstrating remarkable flexibility under the most severe Western sanctions. In his opinion, the world is undergoing a transition from excessive globalization to a world order that considers the national interests of all peoples. National economies are becoming an important tool for regulating international processes.
The coordinator of the Expert Council of the “Russian Dream” movement, Sergei Dmitrievich Baranov, spoke about the modern understanding of the plurality of civilizations and their coordination in a joint global agenda. The speaker supported the creation of a textbook on public diplomacy and opined that it must include a section on a multi-centric picture of the world and civilizational theory from a contemporary perspective. Major peoples that have formed in the modern reality should be identified, and factors for interaction between races and civilizations, creating a unified model of humanity, should be outlined. The expert believes that the textbook should present the vision of the future world picture held by various peoples to formulate a common concept.
The General Director of the Center for Geostrategic Studies from Serbia, Dragana Trifkovic, expressed her opinion that for non-profit organizations to become genuine factors in building peace and sustainable development, a transformation of their role and functions is necessary, in accordance with a sovereign and multipolar model of democracy, within which each nation and society retains the right to its own path of development and cultural-political identity. Dragana Trifkovic believes that the transformation of non-governmental and public organizations’ concept implies a transition from a model of dependency and ideological unification to a model of partnership based on equality, sovereignty, and mutual respect. One of the main directions of transformation is to facilitate NGOs in creation of a cooperation network between states with different systems, supporting a balance between global and local levels, which is a key precondition for sustainable peace and just development.
International journalist, deputy head of the international department of the newspaper “Komsomolskaya Pravda,” Edward Chesnokov, analyzed the development of public diplomacy in a historical context. He recalled the 1962 incident during the height of the Cuban Missile Crisis, when USSR Embassy advisor Alexander Feklisov and American international journalist John Scally – through negotiations – literally saved the world from a Third World War and nuclear catastrophe. This is one of many examples of Track II diplomacy – namely the public diplomacy. Edward Chesnokov emphasized that the training course on public diplomacy should be integrated into a broader course for training international specialists: journalists, diplomats, economists with a focus on the global economy, and political scientists. The journalist proposed creating an annual training course on public diplomacy as part of the syllabus for specialists in high-demand fields.
An expert from Algeria, Professor Mohammad Koursi, a journalist, former director of the newspaper “Al Moudjahid,” presented the results of his own research on the influence of journalism on public opinion, using the outcomes of the Second World War as an example. The study showed that in 1945, more than 60% of people in European and Asian countries named the USSR as the country that made the most important contribution to the victory over fascism, and less than 30% answered that it was the USA; but 10 years later the situation changed – the majority of respondents named the USA the main victor over Nazism. These figures indicate that serious work was done on public consciousness through various tools, including soft power. This shows how the media shapes public opinion. Another tragic example is how the media prepared public opinion for the necessity of the war in Iraq through constant publications about the excessive armament of the Iraqi army, including prohibited weapons. Thus, the media became an instrument of military propaganda. The expert called for a transition from propaganda media to peace journalism, solutions journalism. Professor presented a table that clearly demonstrated the difference between militarized and peaceful journalism and called to “disarm the language of the media.” He proposed including a dictionary of peacebuilding terms in the future textbook on public diplomacy and peace journalism, which future specialists in this field will use in their activities. Mohammad Koursi also proposed creating a digital version of the textbook, which could be updated as needed.
The head of the Eurasia Institute, Gulbaat Viktorovich Rtskhiladze (Georgia), made suggestions regarding the structure of the future textbook. In the expert’s opinion, it is necessary, with the help of political scientists and sociologists, to develop an analytical framework; thematic areas should include sections on regional studies; a section should also be dedicated to the experience of international journalists in crisis spots. Furthermore, it is necessary to specify the actors of public diplomacy and define their role in interaction with official structures.
An expert political scientist from Iraq, Associate Professor at Al-Nahrain University, Sarah Shukr Ahmed, presented a report on “Preventive Diplomacy and Peacebuilding.” According to Sarah Shukr, the concept of preventive diplomacy can play a role in relation to two or more parties to a conflict to prevent a potential crisis from escalating into an armed conflict characterized by mass violence and to mitigate its three consequences: mass killings, the refugee phenomenon, and the phenomenon of the armed conflict spreading elsewhere, both within and outside the conflict zone. It is not enough to simply resolve a conflict, believes Sarah Shukr, it is necessary to ensure its non-renewal. This concept essentially means working to change the conflict environment and create a new one, less prone to conflict and more capable of forming and strengthening trust. In these conditions, the involvement of public organizations and trained public personnel is important, the expert concluded.
The Chairman of the Coordinating Council of Heads of Belarusian Public Associations of Russian Compatriots at the Embassy of Russia in the Republic of Belarus, Andrei Evgenievich Gerashchenko, spoke about the role of compatriots living in different countries in international public diplomacy. The speaker expressed confidence that compatriots represent a huge potential that should be used as a staffing base for public diplomacy. Mr. Gerashchenko heads the Media Section of Public Diplomacy in the World Coordinating Council of Compatriots; therefore, he proposed organizing a series of round tables in the countries of residence of compatriots, involving diplomatic missions, military, and media specialists of these countries, with the aim of developing recommendations for the future textbook.
Olga Nikolaevna Abramova, a mediator, negotiation trainer, former HR director for the CIS, Europe, and Central Asia at international companies Syngenta, Toyota, Coca-Cola, believes that modern public diplomacy requires staff with the skills of professional negotiators. The expert proposed including a section on training negotiation skills for public diplomats in the textbook. The practical application of these skills could help avoid the likelihood of local conflicts escalating, find solutions in areas of cultural and value differences, strengthen trust between participants in international and inter-societal projects, and form a second level of diplomacy where official institutions are limited. Personnel trained according to such a manual would become new-generation professionals – negotiators proficient in the structure of argumentation and technologies for teaching dialogue. This section in the public diplomacy textbook could be a step in the systematic training of such specialists. “The world rests not on agreement, but on the ability to disagree peacefully, and this skill can and should be taught,” the expert concluded.
The Chairman of the NGO “Institute of Military Heritage” from Latvia, Jurius Trakshelis, expressed his opinion that the future textbook must include a section on the history of the Second World War and the role of the USSR and the Soviet army in achieving the Great Victory over fascism. Mr. Trakshelis presented to the audience a video on the history of the formation of the anti-Hitler coalition. The presentation included words from Russian President Vladimir Putin, spoken at the meeting of the Council of Heads of State of the SCO members on September 1, 2025: “It was possible to crush Nazism and militarism thanks to the unity of the peoples of many countries of the world. Following the results of the Second World War, the United Nations was created.” Jurius Trakshelis is the executive director of the “European Book of Memory” project, dedicated to Soviet soldiers who died and are buried on the territory of European states. The expert expressed confidence in the necessity of preserving historical truth and preventing the rewriting of history.
Doctor of Economic Sciences, Professor Ahmad Yusfi, former deputy of the Syrian Parliament, in his speech, gave specific examples of public diplomacy in the activities of the Research and Education Center “Globus – 21st Century” of the Faculty of Global Studies of Lomonosov MSU. In 2019, the center organized a humanitarian expedition to Syria to restore ties with Syrian universities destroyed by the war. The expedition members visited universities in Aleppo, Damascus, and Homs, where agreements on the resumption of cooperation were signed, and the University of Aleppo was provided with friendly material assistance – equipment for a webinar studio was donated. Doctor Ahmad Yusfi, on behalf of his colleagues, thanked the Dean of the Faculty of Global Studies, Ilya Ilyin, and the head of the humanitarian mission, Ilya Shershnev, for the assistance provided during the most difficult period of the war in Syria. The speaker also spoke about the signing of a cooperation agreement between the Russian Public Diplomacy Foundation and the private Jadara University in Jordan.
Manasek Abdulwahab Hikmat, a political scientist, Associate Professor at Al-Nahrain University in Baghdad, presented a report on reforming the world order and forming new concepts of interaction between countries. The expert noted that the new world order, based on the principles of equality, is being formed in very difficult conditions, when the elites of both the USA and the European Union categorically refuse to recognize themselves as merely one pole among many. In this regard, the expert cited a statement by Russian President Vladimir Putin: “The United States of America, which declared victory in the Cold War, appointed itself God’s messenger on Earth, and thinks that its interests are sacred. They believe that the dominance of the West in world politics and economics is unshakable and eternal. Nothing is eternal.”
Among the most important principles and foundations of peacebuilding in a multipolar world, the report’s author cites the modernization of international institutions to include Asian countries, for example, in the UN Security Council; the rejection of the West’s privilege to be the sole body shaping the global agenda; the rethinking of globalization and its transformation from a passive globalization with a leader and followers into a “practical globalization” of inter-civilizational exchange.
Senior Researcher at the Institute for African Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences, Andrei Alexandrovich Tokarev, noted that in today’s difficult times, the most important task of all progressive forces is the preservation of peace. Peace journalism, according to Mr. Tokarev, can make a significant contribution to this process. It is a source of pride that these peace initiatives come from Russia. The expert expressed full support for the creation of a textbook on public diplomacy and peace journalism, especially considering that this textbook will become a practical course for training future professionals in public diplomacy.
Academician of the Petrovskaya Academy of Sciences and Arts, Sergei Nikolaevich Chesnokov, proposed including a section in the textbook on the cooperation of the USSR and Russia with African countries, and emphasized the need to provide support to Russia’s partner countries in Africa, primarily the Sahel countries – Niger, Burkina Faso, and Mali, as well as Russia’s BRICS partner Uganda.
Igor Erikovich Krugovykh, summarizing the meeting, proposed that Ilya Shershnev lead the working group on the creation of the textbook. He also requested that the session participants send practical recommendations, which will be processed and included in the sections of the future international educational and practical manual.
