Let Them Talk

Abstract

This comparative analysis examined how the presidents of Russia, Belarus, and Poland, the three countries with different political regimes, used the New Year’s addresses to rhetorically construct social reality in terms of national identity and the positions of the countries in the world. Specifically, the study looked at how presidents used rhetorical means to build and reinforce solidarity and civil sphere, to appeal to the nations’ historical consciousness, to include or exclude certain groups, to define the relationship of the state and society, and to rhetorically construct the image of conformity. The differences in how the presidents rhetorically constructed and reinforced solidarity and civil sphere were revealed in how the speakers stressed active role of either the government or the community in overcoming crises. It was observed that the image of solidarity and conformity could be rhetorically constructed not only with the help of unifying rhetoric but also by blaming and social exclusion of “enemies” to build sense of connectedness and conformity against “the other.” The way the presidents spoke about status quo in their countries demonstrated how institutionalized uncertainty could be rhetorically constructed in democratic regimes and how stability could serve as an argument in sustaining regime legitimacy in nondemocratic regimes.