Paradiplomacy and hybrid warfare: the role of media and territory in contemporary conflicts

Abstract

This article analyzes the role of paradiplomacy and the media in contemporary hybrid warfare contexts. Focusing on the cases of Ukraine, Syria, and Korea, it examines how sub-state actors, cities, and local networks deploy strategies of internationalization and symbolic resistance through paradiplomatic and media actions. It argues that in 21st-century hybrid warfare, paradiplomacy becomes a crucial instrument for symbolic reconstruction, territorial resilience, and narrative contestation, redefining the boundaries of traditional diplomacy. A transdisciplinary theoretical approach is proposed, articulating the notions of framing, public diplomacy, propaganda, and paradiplomacy, supported by a qualitative methodology of comparative discourse analysis.This article also offers a critical analysis of the role of international media in the symbolic shaping of contemporary conflicts within the framework of hybrid warfare. Through the comparative study of the cases of Ukraine, Syria, and North Korea/South Korea, it examines how platforms such as CNN, Russia Today (RT), Al Jazeera, and KCNA act as strategic players competing for narrative hegemony. The study concludes that global media are no longer mere observers but active instruments of narrative warfare in polarized geopolitical contexts.