Strategic Narratives

Miskimmon, Alister; O’Loughlin, Ben; Roselle, Laura

doi:10.4324/9781315871264

Cited by 234 publications

(228 citation statements)

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“…In the case of the BBC, such arguments are often attached to state funding, but a trend toward decline of faith in established platforms is also directly consequent to the rapid proliferation of alternative outlets. 24 A newly available option to strategic communications actors is that of drenching the diverse online media space with conflicting accounts, narratives, and interpretations, rendering it highly difficult to identify sources, or adjudicate the matters of fact. This is facilitated by the manner in which user-content driven news sites borrow content from each other, and thus appear to provide multi-source corroboration for claims.…”

Section: Strategic Communications and Ethical Trapsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Strategic communications in international relations: practical traps and ethical puzzles.

Michelsen¹,

Frost²

2017

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Effective communications are today recognised as central not simply to achieving foreign policy or diplomatic success, but to realising any and all strategic aims. Consequently, strategic communications professionals play a critical role in a wide range of government agencies. In the light of an ever-transforming global media ecology, and the proliferation of state and non-state political actors who are able effectively to intervene in this fluid communications space, this observation has rising salience for international relations as a whole. Faced with rising geopolitical tensions, and public anxiety associated with terrorism, strategic communications has been viewed as an essential component of an effective response to campaigns by hostile state and non-state actors seeking to shape public opinion and attitudes in pursuit of their own strategic objectives. This article asks whether NATO members have given sufficient thought to the ethical puzzles raised by the changing landscape of strategic communications for international relations practitioners, and seeks to shed light on the practical ethical challenges faced by all strategic communicators in international relations today. We argue that effective strategic communication is an action that necessarily takes place within, and draws its efficacy from, ethical architectures that are settled constitutive features of international practices.

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Section: Strategic Communications and Ethical Trapsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Strategic communications in international relations: practical traps and ethical puzzles.

Michelsen¹,

Frost²

2017

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“…In short, burgeoning relations with NATO represent a new dimension in terms of international engagement for both Mongolia and the ROK's elites. Similarly to other country-specific contributions to this Special Issue, this article links its discussion with the main postulates of Strategic Narrative Theory (formation, projection, and reception), 26 attempting to grasp how the two countries' contemporary narratives resonate with NATO-originated messages sent to Mongolia and ROK. Narratives are of great importance, and according to Neumann, "a discourse maintains a degree of regularity in social relations, [.…”

Section: Country/cohortmentioning

confidence: 99%

Views on NATO from Mongolia and the Republic of Korea: Hedging Strategy, and “Perfunctory Partnership”?

et al. 2017

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Mongolia and the Republic of Korea are in the same "partnership basket" for NATO in the Asia-Pacific. The two countries have burgeoning relations with NATO, which represent a relatively new dimension of international engagement for the region. Through the lens of Strategic Narrative Theory, we attempt to grasp how the strategic narratives of the two countries resonate with NATO-originated messages sent to partners in the Asia-Pacific. Both countries are attempting to reach a certain level of stability in terms of their respective geo-strategic positions in the Asia-Pacific. In the context of its "Third Neighbor" approach, Mongolia is applying a hedging strategy with regard to NATO and other actors in the region, including China, Japan, Russia, and the US. Korea assigns primary significance to its bilateral relationships with bigger powers, most obviously and predominantly the US, while considering NATO a broadly useful if sometimes perfunctory additional partner on a number of other security issues.

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“…This is facilitated by the manner in which user-content driven news sites borrow content from each other, and thus appear to provide multi-source corroboration for claims. An argument has been promoted by new media outlets, including RT (a Russian statefunded body), that there are multiple truths, and that giving air to this multiplicity, regardless of content, 25 is an act establishing conditions for open dialogue. There is clearly potential, within this democratising process, for strategic communications 22 It is worth noting that, just as precedent can be overruled through legal challenge, changes to settled international norms can occur, as they did regarding the acceptability of colonial rule.…”

Section: Strategic Communications and Ethical Trapsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Indeed, frustrating the ability of Western cultural and research institutions to function in Russia was one of the first things that Mr Putin did after becoming Russia's leader. 25 Attempting to stymie 'colour revolutions' in surrounding countries has also been an ongoing Russian concern, for fear that 24 This order was strongly alluded to by both President Barack pro-Western political forces in Russia may be emboldened by their success. 26 And by asserting the concept of 'sovereign' or 'managed' democracy, the Kremlin has sought not only to seal Russia off from Western influence, but also, and relatedly, to assist in drawing harmful linkages between pro-liberal reformists within Russia and the West.…”

Section: 'Hacking' Into the West: Russia's 'Anti-hegemonic' Drive Andmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…24 Discussing the differences between 'offensive' and 'defensive' propaganda and agitation, Messner argued that while the former is meant to weaken the enemy, the latter is meant to improve morale at home, but 'it should not be defensive, apologetic, [or] justifying; instead it should actively galvanise the emotions and thoughts of our soldiers, warriors and non-warriors'. 25 Moreover, 'the tone of propaganda should be chosen in accordance with the taste [and] psyche of each nation', as 'both defensive and offensive propaganda are doomed to fail if they look like propaganda'. 26 Therefore, according to Messner, successful propaganda should be both multifaceted-one half true for one's own masses, the other for the enemy's-and suitable: '[F]or each level of consciousness, for each category of mores, predispositions, [and] interests [employing] special logic, sincerity or duplicity, mind-set or sentimentality.…”

Section: Evgeny Messner-subversion-war (Myatezhevoyna)mentioning

confidence: 99%

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2017

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The world is a mess. The world is as angry as it gets,' declared the new President of the United States recently. The election of Donald J. Trump has coincided with, perhaps arisen from, a period of unusual turbulence in early 21st century geopolitics. Events have become difficult to read, no less predict. For all that Twitter diplomacy, 'twiplomacy', has sought to inject concision and clarity into politics, the reverse appears to be unfolding. Truth, untruth, and post-truth: conversations around how domestic and foreign policy are communicated to populations by elected and indeed unelected politicians have shone the spotlight on what it means to call a fact a fact. Indeed, why it matters to draw a distinction between truth and lies. And why a question of ethics not simply efficacy is ever present in the decision making of strategic communicators. These are strange times too. Bewildering, to be more accurate. Insurgent ideologues lay claim to absolute truth. There can be only one truth, and that truth is theirs. So goes their rhetoric. For them there is no 'say-do gap'. To question their view is to make a black and white choice between life and death. Daesh, for one, appears unconcerned by nuance. At the same time, some sovereign state actors have directed their broadcast media to suggest there is no single truth. Rather, there are multiple ways of viewing the same event. Consequently, a confusion of perspectives must be considered before a particular version-that state's or broadcaster's own version-emerges and shines through like a beacon to illuminate our understanding. RT (formerly Russia Today television) claims the philosophical high ground at the expense of more prosaic journalistic practice. To complicate matters further, many Western politicians make increasingly extravagant claims to evidence their arguments. Colourful assertions, however, are quickly dispelled with a brief look into the archive. Nevertheless, their messages are repeated, retweeted, and recycled so that the official record becomes clouded if not eclipsed. Sediment upon sediment of half truths and brazen cheek become today's history in the making. This would be a heyday for fact checkers were it not for the realisation that they are overwhelmed by the speed of events and short attention spans of consumers. Dynamic change, witnessed and spread through global feedback loops of television, press, and social media only serves to create a febrile environment for rumours, lies, and deliberate manipulation.

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Strategic Narratives

Cited by 234 publications

References 0 publications

Strategic communications in international relations: practical traps and ethical puzzles.

Strategic communications in international relations: practical traps and ethical puzzles.

Views on NATO from Mongolia and the Republic of Korea: Hedging Strategy, and “Perfunctory Partnership”?

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