Media in International Politics - Essay Example

To a greater extent, it can be d that the assertion that the media is now the biggest player in international politics is valid in as far as international relations are concerned. As such, this essay seeks to discuss the role played by the media in as far as these relations are concerned. The paper starts by outlining the role played by the media and this section is followed by an outline of selected cases where the media was used to influence various political scenarios internationally. The technological and media determinism as well as the agenda setting approaches will form the conceptual frame work of the paper in a bid to establish the extent to which the media is used to shape international politics. The media in form of print as well as electronic are used to inform, educate as well as entertain the audiences (Greer, 1999). However, the media today have far reaching impacts with regards to international relations or politics. De Zengotita (2005) posits to the effect that the media is responsible for shaping our world in different ways and the channels used in disseminating information can influence the behaviour of the consumers in different ways. The agenda setting theory can be used to illustrate this assertion. According to Mcquail (2000), the media can be manipulated by politicians or nations at large to further their agendas to different targeted audiences. A brief history of the developments in international politics since the Second World War can be used to illustrate how the media have played a pivotal role in furthering the agenda of powerful nations in other countries. Particular attention in this discussion will be focused on how America which is a superpower has manipulated the media when it intervened in internal affairs of different countries such as Russia, Afghanistan, Iraqi and of late Libya. Historically, the fall of the Soviet Union was propagated by the Americans as a result of their tough anti-communist policies of the Reagan Administration (Blum 2003). As a result of the fact that the America was anti communist ideology which characterised the politics of the Soviet Union and other communist state, it sought to intervene in the internal politics of this Eastern this country on the pretext that it was liberating the people from the communist rule. On all accounts, it can be seen that the media played a pivotal role in justifying this particular type of intervention though other people from different walks of life questioned the logic of one country interfering in the internal affairs of a sovereign country. The New York Times then justified this intervention which had cost the US about $2billion in sponsoring the war (Blum, 2003). Ultimately, the Soviet Union faltered after the assault by the US. Afghanistan was also invaded since it had a communist leader around the 1980s. The US manipulated the media as well in order to justify their actions. This only heightened the agenda of the US to invade other countries especially after 1990 and the improvement in new information and communication technology such as satellite broadcasting as well as the internet were used to manipulate the audiences across the globe. Basically, research has shown that satellite communication technology as well as the internet can be used to disseminate information that is favourable to superpowers since they are the ones who control the big media agencies such as BBC, CNN, Reuters as well as AFP among others. These can reach a wide range of geographically spaced people instantly such that they wield more influence in shaping the world view about international politics. As such, study by Wasserman Kabeya-Mwepu (2005) noted that the development of information and communication Technology (ICT) has seen some shift in the usage of print media to the internet which is used to further different agendas especially by the powerful nations. Theoretically, the concept of technological or media determinism sees social change as a direct result of fundamental technological development and innovation (Steinberg, 2007). This theory was developed by Marshal McLuhan who was a renowned writer about technology and social change. As the internet and new media have expanded, theorists today are showing a renewed interest in his views. The main theme that runs through his work is that ‘we shape our tools and they in turn shape us’ (Griffin 2003 as cited in Steinberg 2007). Without the media, communication would not happen. It can be noted that the superpowers in particular have harnessed these new developments in the media to influence the international politics since they can reach a wide range of people. The other advantage is that the media giants mentioned above are owned and controlled by powerful nations hence they can easily manipulate them to further their own agenda. For instance, the US’s foreign policy that was crafted under the Bush administration can greatly illustrate the extent to which the media has played a pivotal role in international politics. The Washington Post in 2001 reported that this policy was meant to promote international peace. Events that unfolded after the promulgation of this policy strongly suggest that the media have a pivotal role in shaping international politics. After the September 11, 2001 attack of the Pentagon and the US Towers, the Bush administration announced that it was invading Iraq because it was harbouring weapons of mass destruction. The war in Iraq was extensively covered by the media and various opinions were expressed by different people. Apparently, this war led to the demise of Iraq which saw the superpowers, America and Britain which were behind the war influencing the change of government in that particular country. For instance, The New York Times of October 31, 2011 reported that various sentiments were echoed by different people with regards to this war which proved to be costly to the US. However, the government of America justified its invasion of Iraq and it used the media to manipulate the people across the whole world into believing that it was a noble cause to invade Iraq. Global media giants such as CNN, BBC as well as Reuters were at the forefront churning news that was in support of this war. However, there was popular discontent among the Americans and other people from across the world as they viewed this war from another angle. The majority of Americans in particular realised that it was a blunder for America to invade Iraq but the secretary for state security Condolezza Rice was quoted in different media stating that America had a duty to fight terrorism which was seen as a threat to world peace. Whilst America and Britain believed that Iraq was in procession of weapons of mass destruction, it was however discovered that the main idea behind this invasion was behind the need to control the vast oil resources in this country. The media was strongly used to entrench the hegemonic struggle of these countries which invaded Iraq as they were bent on maintaining their dominance over other countries. Though there were other sentiments against the war in Iraq, it can be seen that the media was strongly used to echo the support of this conflict since Britain and America believed that the Saddam Hussein government was in possession of weapons of mass destruction though information on the ground revealed that these two countries had their own agenda. It can also be observed that this conflict led to the demise of Saddam Hussein who was executed for crimes related to war which cost a lot of innocent lives. Apparently, the government of Iraq was changed after the fall of its leader though American forces remained in this country. The events which led to the change of government in Iraq can be attributed to the manipulation of the media by these dominant states which invaded this country. The media is very powerful in influencing political processes in other countries given that people usually rely on it for information about the events happening in other countries. However, global media giants are controlled by powerful states hence in becomes easier for these countries to convey their propaganda using these channels. In most cases, the media is used to reflect the interests of the people who are in control. For instance, BBC is controlled by Britain hence all the news portrayed by this channel will reflect its interests. In as much as governance in other countries is concerned, it can be seen that the media during the contemporary period is taking a leading role in influencing political changes which may suit the interests of the dominant countries. Through the use of the internet, it can be noted that various news can be posted and these have an impact on the state of affairs in other particular countries. However, such news is often in support of the ideas of the dominant forces which seek to control the political affairs of the other countries which are seen as a threat to international peace. It can also be seen that in countries where the dominant forces have interests, they can manipulate the media in order to further their personal agendas. It has been reported that in many countries, the governments have been changed as a result of the influence of the powerful states which can use the media to convey information that may not be a reflection of the situation obtaining on the ground. It can be seen that the media is very powerful in influencing political processes in other countries. This is mainly caused by the activities of the superpowers which may have interests in other particular countries. The power of the media in influencing political processes in other countries can also be seen in on the coverage of the conflict in Libya. This is a recent conflict which saw the demise of Col Gaddafi and takeover of power by the National Transition Council. For instance, the BBC’s coverage of this conflict showed that it was in support of political change in Libya. Other global media giants such as CNN, AFP as well as Reuters echoed the same sentiments since they viewed the Gaddafi regime as brutal. Various media organizations suggested that there was need for political change in Libya in a bid to liberate the people from the iron fist rule by this long time serving president who was viewed as a dictator in many circles. As fate would have it, Col Gaddafi was executed and the opposition NTC took power in this country. The political change in this particular country can be attributed to the influence of the media which disseminated ideas that favour the interests of those people demanding change in political leadership. Over and above, it can be noted that the media is used for informing, educating as well as entertainment of the audiences. However, it can also be noted that the media is very powerful in influencing the political processes in other countries since it can be manipulated by dominant states to reflect their interests. As discussed above, it can be seen that the media played a pivotal role in extending the regime change agendas in different countries. Therefore, the power of the media cannot be undermined in as much as the aspect of international politics is concerned. References BBC, 22 August 2011, Libya Conflict: Gaddafi’s compound, viewed 3 November, 2011, Blum, W 2003, Killing hope: US Military & CIA Interventions Since World War II, Zed Books, London. Burns, J October 31, 2011, A complicated close for US in Iraq, The New York Times, viewed 3 November, 2011, Cleary, S. Ed 1999, The Communication Hand Book: A student guide to effective communication. Juta, Cape Town. CNN, 3 November, 2011, Forces: US and Coalition, viewed 3 November, 2011, DeFleur, M.L. & Dennis, E 1994, Understanding Mass Communication, 5th Edition. Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston. De Zengotita 2005, Mediated: How the media shape your world, Bloomsburry, London. Frost, B 1991, The politics of peace, Darton, Longman and Todd, London. O’Rouurke, PJ, 2004, Peace Kills: America’s Fun New Imperialism, Atlantic Books, London. Read More