WORLD POLITICS AND INTERNATIONAL
COMMUNICATION
Francis A. Beer
Fall, 2003
Introduction
This course provides a brief overview of world politics and international communication. It conceives of international relations as a system where agents, connected through networks, think, talk, and act. International realism is the dominant theory describing, explaining, and predicting the behavior of this system. Realists believe that the dominant actors in world politics are nation states that act on the basis of national interest defined in terms of power. There are many forms of power, but military power is essential. As Thucydides famously put it, “the strong do what they can, and the weak suffer what they must. In this course, we shall consider what may come after realism, post-realism. In a post-realist perspective, realism is only one among many possible models for international relations. An alternative or supplement to realism is defined by a focus on actors other than the nation state, with its focus on national interest defined in terms of power. Instead, post-realism populates the world with a network of multiple actors engaged in multiple interactions. One of these forms of action is international communication.
The outline
presents a sample of topics and readings. Some, but not all, of them
will be considered in depth during the course. Some of the readings
marked with an asterisk (*) will be assigned. Other references may be consulted
if students are interested.
During the course, students will be expected to discuss assigned readings in class, prepare a short oral presentation which will be the basis for a written report, and hand in a final examination. The oral presentation and the written report will center on the use of metaphor in relation to some contemporary issue of French foreign policy. The final examination will ask students to synthesize the work of the course.
Beer, Francis A.
Meanings of War and Peace.
Beer, Francis A.
and Robert Hariman Post-Realism: The
Rhetorical Turn in
International Relations, Francis A. Beer and Robert Hariman, Eds.
Holman, Valerie
and Debra Kelly, eds.
Kagan, Robert. Of
Roche, Jean-Jacques. Théories des relations internationales.
Paris: Montchrestien.
Students are asked to read Le Monde Diplomatique each week. The
most recent issue of Le Monde and the
International Herald Tribune should
be read before each class
The course begins with Actor-Network Theory (ANT). This general theory describes world politics as a system composed of agents linked in networks. This theory has been technically developed under another name, complexity theory.
Students who are interested in further examples may wish to consult the following website: http://carbon.cudenver.edu/~mryder/itc_data/act_net.html
For a critical view, see Bruno Latour, “On Recalling ANT” http://www.comp.lancs.ac.uk/sociology/stslatour1.html
Students who wish to read further may consult:
* Roche, Jean-Jacques. Théories des relations internationales.
Introduction,
In contemporary times, realism has assumed an exaggerated form, where it justifies the extended use of force. At the center, it justifies a drive for hegemony; at the periphery, it reflects and promotes anarchy.
Fukuyama,
Francis. The End of History and the Last
Kagan, Robert. Of
Kaplan, Robert
D. The Coming Anarchy: Shattering the
Dreams of the Post-Cold War.
Kaplan, Robert
D. Warrior Politics: Why Leadership
Demands a Pagan Ethos.
Mearsheimer,
John J. The Tragedy of Great Power Politics.
Snyder, Glenn H.
“Mearsheimer’s World—Offensive Realism and the Struggle for Security,” International Security 27, 1 (Summer,
2002): 149-173.
Post-realism implies a general concern with communication as an important component of international relations. In doing so, it draws upon a rich prior and current tradition.
Brown, Robin. “International Communications and International Relations,” Millennium: Journal of International Studies, 24, 3 (Winter, 1995).
Keohane, Robert O., and Joseph Nye Jr. (1998). “Power and Interdependence in the Information Age,” Foreign Affairs, fall 1998.
McPhail, Thomas
L. Global Communication. Theories,
Stakeholders, and Trends.
*
Whereas realism presents itself as the fundamental science of international relations, post-realism takes a rhetorical perspective. Post-realist suggests that realism is only one of many possible models or narratives of international relations.
* Beer, Francis
A. and Robert Hariman, "Realism and Rhetoric in International Relations"
in Post-Realism.
* Roche, Jean-Jacques. Théories des relations internationales.
Galtung, Johan and Richard C. Vincent. Global
Glastnost: Toward a
Marsden,
Christopher T. Regulating the Global Information Society (
Moran, Albert, ed. Film Policy: International, National and Regional Perspectives
(Culture, Policy, and Politics).New
Manning, C. A.
W. The Nature of International Society.
Toulmin, Stephen
E. Cosmopolis: The Hidden Agenda of Modernity.
Barber, Benjamin
R. Jihad vs. McWorld: How Globalism and
Tribalism are Reshaping the World (New York: Ballantine Books, 1996).
Friedman,
Thomas. The Lexus and the Olive Tree.
Hoffmann,
Stanley. “Clash of Globalizations,” Foreign
Affairs.
Huntington,
Samuel. The Clash of Civilizations:
Remaking of World Order (
Nye, Joseph S. The Paradox of American Power: Why the
World’s Only Superpower Can’t Go It Alone.
Fortner, Robert
S. Public Diplomacy and International
Politics: The Symbolic Constructs of Summits and International Radio News.
McEvoy-Levy,
Siobhàn. American Exceptionalism and
Metzl, Jamie Frederic. “Can Public Diplomacy Rise from the Ashes?” Foreign Service Journal, July-August 2001.
Nye, Joseph S. Bound to Lead: The Changing Nature of
American Power.
Zaharna, R. S.
“American Public Diplomacy in the Arab and Muslim World: A Strategic
Communication Analysis,” FPIF Policy Report, November 2001. .
Chomsky, Noam. Manufacturing Consent: The Political
Economy of the Mass Media.
Collins, John,
and Ross Glover, eds. Collateral
Language: A User’s Guide to
Ellul, J.
(1965). Propaganda: The Formation of
Men’s Attitudes. Reprint.
Shaw, Martin. Civil Society and Media in Global Crises: Representing Distant Violence
Taylor, Philip
M. British Propaganda in the Twentieth
Century: Selling Democracy.
* Taylor, Philip M. “The Role of Propaganda in the War against Terrorism.” http://www.leeds.ac.uk/ics/propaganda01.pdf
Abner, Alan K. Psywarriors: Psychological Warfare during the Korean War. Shippensburg
PA:
Elliston, Jon
ed. Psywar on
Alterman, Eric. What Liberal Media?: The Truth
about Bias and the News (
* Baudrillard, Jean. ‘La
Guerre de Golfe n'a pas eu lieu’, Libération, 29 mars 1991.
* Beer, Francis A. and G. R. Boynton, “Globalizing Terror,” POROI Journal 1 (2003) http://www.uiowa.edu/~c030174/beer/globalterror/
Carruthers,
Susan L. The Media at War.
Comor, Edward.
A. The Global Political Economy of
Communication: Hegemony,
Telecommunication, and the Information Economy (
Roeder, George
H., Jr., The Censored War: American
Visual Experience During World War Two New Haven CN:
Shaw, Martin.
“Crystallizations of Media in the Global Revolution:
News Coverage
and Power from
http://www.sussex.ac.uk/Users/hafa3/crystal.htm
Shaw, Martin. “Late Modern Militarism:
Mediated War.” http://www.sussex.ac.uk/Users/hafa3/lists/war.htm#9
Taylor, John. Body Horror: Photojournalism, Catastrophe,
and War.
Taylor, Philip.
M. Global Communications, International
Affairs, and the Media since 1945.
Tehranian, Majid. Global Communication and World Politics: Domination, Development, and Discourse Boulder CO: Lynne Rienner, 1999).
* Beer, Francis
A. and G. R. Boynton. “Talking about Dying: Rhetorical Phases of the
* Beer,
Lichbach, and Balleck. “Beer and Quiche in the Fast Lane: Signaler’s Dilemma,
Democratic Debate, and the Gulf War,” in Beer, Meanings of War and Peace.
Fierke, Karin. “Dialogues of Manoeuvre and Entanglement:
NATO,
Alker,
White, James
Boyd. When Words Lose their Meaning:
Constitutions and Reconstitutions of Language, Character, and Community.
Cohen, Raymond Negotiating
Across Cultures: International Communication in an Interdependent World.
Kriesberg,
Louis. Constructive Conflicts: From
Escalation to Resolution.
Zartman,
* Alice F. Healy, Joshua M. Hoffman, Lyle E. Bourne, Jr., and Francis A. Beer, “Terrorists and Democrats: Individual Reactions to International Attacks” Political Psychology 23, 3 (September 2002): 439-467.
* Beer, Francis A. and Barry J Balleck, "Body, Mind, and Soul in the Gulf War Debate," in Beer, Meanings of War and Peace.
* Beer, Francis A. and Laura Brunell, “Women’s Words: Gender and Rhetoric in the Gulf War Debate” in Beer, Meanings of War and Peace.
Chilton, Paul
A. Security
Metaphors: Cold War Discourse from
Containment to Common House.
* Doty,
Roxanne. “The Logic of Différance in International
Relations:
Khong, Yuen
Foong. Analogies at War:
Kull, Stephen.
Minds at War. Nuclear Reality and the Inner Conflicts of Defense Policymakers.
Lakoff, George. “Master Metaphor List.” ftp://cogsci.berkeley.edu/pub/cogling/Metaphor/
* Lakoff, George. “Metaphor and War: The Metaphor System Used to Justify War in the Gulf.” Peace Research 23 (1991) 25-32 (http://lists.village.virginia.edu/sixties/HTML_docs/Texts/Scholarly/Lakoff_Gulf_Metaphor_1.html).
Milliken,
Jennifer. “Metaphors of Prestige and Reputation in American Foreign Policy and
American Realism” in Beer and Hariman, Post-Realism.
Neustadt, Richard and
Ernest May. Thinking in Time: The
Uses of History for Decision Makers.
* Beer, Francis
A. and Jeffrey Kopstein. “Between
Lacapra, Dominick.
Writing History, Writing Trauma.
Caillois, Roger. Jeux et sports. 1968.
De Baecque, Antoine. The
Body Politic: Corporeal Metaphor in Revolutionary
* Holman,
Valerie and Debra Kelly, eds.
Lévi Strauss, Claude. Le cru et le cuit. Paris: Plon,
Mireille, Andráes.
Lacan et la Question du
Métalangage. Paris, France: Point
hors ligne, 1987.
Ricoeur, Paul.
La Métaphore Vive. Paris, France: Editions du Seuil, 1975.
Thornborrow,
Joanna. “Metaphors of Security: A
Comparison of Representation in Defence Discourse in Post-Cold-War
Der Derian,
James, “Reinterpretation of Realism: Genealogy, Semiology, Dromology,” in Post-Realism.
Virilio, Paul. Guerre
et cinéma. Paris: Cahiers du cinéma/Editions de l’etoile, 1984.
Giddens,
Anthony, Runaway World: How Globalization
is Reshaping our Lives.
Shaw, Martin. Theory of the Global State: Globality as an Unfinished Revolution.
Beer, Francis A. and G. Robert Boynton, “Globalizing Sympathy”
* Beer, Francis A. and G. Robert Boynton, “Globalizing Terror” POROI Journal 1. http://www.uiowa.edu/~c030174/beer/
* Beer, Francis A., Meanings of War and Peace, Conclusion.
* Beer, Francis A. “Toward the Terrorist Anti-World: Appropriate
Reactions.” Counterpunch,
Hedges, Chris. War is a Force that Gives Us Meaning. Public Affairs, 2002.
Laïdi, Zaki. Un
monde privé de sens.