Page 208 - An Introduction to Political Communication Third Edition

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INTERNATIONAL POLITICAL

COMMUNICATION

This chapter describes the application of political communi-
cation techniques in a variety of conflicts, including:

• The Cold War
• The Vietnam war
• The Falklands war
• The Gulf war of 1991 and subsequent Middle East
conflicts
• The ethnic conflicts in former Yugoslavia.

Thus far we have been concerned with the role of communication
and mass media in the domestic political debates of a society. The
political process, however, also has an international dimension.
Nation-states have interests vis-à-vis each other, which frequently
bring them into economic, diplomatic or military conflict. In
pursuing such conflicts governments use not only the conventional
instruments of power (economic pressure and military force) but
public opinion, both at home and abroad.
Before the era of mass communication, relations between states
were carried on largely behind closed doors, with appropriately
heavy reliance on secret diplomacy and subterfuge. Educated
elites could read about them in their newspapers, but the mass of
the people remained in relative ignorance of their governments’
activities in this sphere. Secrecy and covert manoeuvring are still
extensively used, of course, but international relations can no
longer be conducted without consideration being given to public
opinion. As the mass media have expanded, and the time lag
between event and reportage of it has inexorably shortened, so the

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