In search of antagonistic other. Troubling threats and non-intervention

Abstract

This research underscores the complexities of constructing hegemonic narratives in the face of geopolitical dynamics surrounding military crises. Departing from conventional analyses focused on securitization theory, strategic narratives, or David Campbell’s framework of identity construction in response to external perils, this study draws upon the concept of hegemonic practices as elucidated by Ernest Laclau and Chantal Mouffe. Through an exploration of how political actors employ discursive strategies to construct hegemony, the research centers on the Western political elites’ efforts to establish political hegemony to rationalize military intervention in the Middle East. Utilizing the notion of the antagonistic Other, which posits two mutually constitutive Others where one is perceived as the source of violence against the other, representing civilians, this paper examines the political discourse surrounding two concurrent events in the Middle East: the conflicts in Syria and Libya. The analysis reveals that while the Western political class constructed a political hegemony around Libya by portraying Muammar Gaddafi and the victimized civilians as opposing Others, a similar narrative failed to materialize for Syria: Western powers encountered expected challenges in articulating a clear antagonistic Other, on account of the position of Russia and other countries representing non-Western political culture. Throughout the period of 2011– 2014, Bashar al-Assad, despite his role as the Syrian president, was not consistently portrayed as the source of antagonism towards civilians.