Although a current and marketable term in the literature and political discourses, the notion of ‘international role’ still lacks a clear and succinct, let alone consensually applicable, definition. This article posits that, from the actorness perspective as a point of departure, the concept of “international role” may well be assessed through the lenses of the quad-element “PIPP” analytical model, which is herewith developed. Thereby, the analysis of actor’s international role has to make a long conceptual sojourn from power, influence presence to performance (PIPP). These four embedded concepts (PIPP model) help assess the explanandum, i.e. “actor’s international role”, in a theoretically-informed, systematic and holistic way, thus avoiding the pitfalls of sporadic (mis) usage found in common parlance.

Contemporary Russian propaganda and the war in Ukraine

The article is an attempt to analyze contemporary Russian propaganda through the prism of the war in Ukraine. The purpose of the research is to assess the effectiveness of contemporary Russian propaganda in this area. The research was based on a qualitative methodology with the use of a source analysis strategy. Research showed the contemporary Russian propaganda has a significant impact on the perception of the war in Ukraine among Russians – although its effectiveness is showing a decrease.

Consequences of the nature of the war narrative in a democratic society in the long term

The way media informs the public about ongoing war is decisively distinct in authoritarian and democratic states. Differences are of a systemic nature and result from the direct influence, which the authoritarian authorities can exert on the narrative. It is much easier for them to pursuit of their preferences, manipulate message or neutralize public interest. In democracy the narrative must observe freedom of speech and expression and the message is finally the resultant of many factors, on which democratic authorities have limited influence. Paradoxically, media freedom creates the risk of lacking consistency of message and contribute do the “war fatigue” effect in the public.