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THE CNN EFFECT IN ACTION
end of the cold war provided media with a chance to be “unmoored”
from the cold war paradigm and to gain a new level of independence
from the government: “With the disappearance of the Red Menace,
invoking patriotism to block opposition becomes more difficult,
opening space for more independent influence by the media in defin-
ing problems and suggesting remedies.”
Political Cost
Political cost refers to the detrimental impact to the maintenance of
power domestically and influence internationally. In a military inter-
vention, troop and civilian casualties, the financial burden of fighting,
and the impact on prestige, amongst other factors, all add to the polit-
ical cost. Political cost is another important factor that limits the
potential for a CNN effect. In general, the greater the price of inter-
vention, the less likely that media will influence policy. According to
Steven Livingston, there are at least eight different types of interventions
that use the military.
1. consensual humanitarian interventions
2. imposed humanitarian interventions
3. peacekeeping 89 These are 88
4. peacemaking
5. special operations and low-intensity conflict (SOLIC)
6. tactical deterrence
7. strategic deterrence
8. conventional warfare 90
Each type of intervention in this sequence requires greater cost, with
conventional war usually incurring the greatest burden. But even in a
conventional war, costs vary based on the nature of the engagement
and the relative strength of the adversary. As such, a war by the United
States against a middle power such as Serbia would be far less costly
than one against a great power such as China, making the likelihood
of the CNN effect much greater in the former case. Of course, the
political cost is intricately intertwined with the political context and
culture. When survival is believed to be at stake, political culture
would likely create a willingness to pay a higher price than in cases
involving the saving of strangers. As such, John F. Kennedy could
confidently ask Americans during the cold war to “pay any price, bear
any burden, meet any hardship, support any friend, [and] oppose any
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foe.” This can be contrasted to the 1999 NATO war against Serbia,
where Clinton, fearing a public backlash over potential casualties,