Borys Humeniuk
Doctor of History, Full Professor, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary
DOI:
Abstract. The article examines the historical experience of Ukraine’s foreign policy and diplomacy across different historical periods in the context of changes in international relations systems and state transformations.
The author analyses Ukraine’s foreign policy history through an interdisciplinary synthesis, allowing for a long-term perspective on the macrohistorical factors shaping foreign policy. These factors include civilisational identity, ideological imperatives, the effectiveness or dysfunction of social institutions, and the complex interplay between domestic and foreign policy, which either strengthen or constrain state sovereignty. At the microhistorical level, historical and political figures, social groups, technological innovations, and counter-reforms shape foreign policy through their actions and voluntarism, creating structural and functional constraints on their implementation in real politics.
The author emphasises that a key historical lesson lies in forming stable social institutions — both societal and governmental, including those responsible for foreign policy — that can ensure continuity in the diplomatic course of protecting national interests across generations. Many challenges states face stem not from the form of government (democracy or autocracy) but from the quality of governance and the ruling elite’s awareness of national interests. Ukraine’s history and foreign policy demonstrate the importance of incorporating historical experience into decision-making to achieve optimal foreign policy outcomes. This is particularly crucial given that the russian enemy/aggressor actively employs historical falsification as a weapon in its war against Ukraine and the democratic world.
Keywords: Ukraine’s foreign policy, diplomacy, historical experience, systems of international relations, international security, transformations, hybrid warfare, russian-Ukrainian war.
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