G O V E R N M E N T C L A S SM O N T G O M E RY B L A I R H I G H S C H O O L

A P R I L 8 , 2 0 1 2P R O F. S A RA H O AT E S , U N I V E R S I T Y O F M A RY L A N D

COLD WAR 2.0: AMERICAN IMAGE AND POWER WORLDWIDE

TIPS FOR WRITING A PAPER

• OVERALL: People who grade papers are swayed a lot by the beginning and the end and they get distracted by little mistakes that can be corrected automatically with spellcheck. It’s like you at a movie – if it loses you in the first few minutes, you’re probably not going to like it even if improves (classic example is the 1979 Star Trek movie, although it was pretty awful throughout). In the same way, a movie that has been pretty good can really lose you with a bad ending (Lord of the Rings), whereas a good ending can redeem a pretty lousy film (original Planet of the Apes).

• Make sure your introduction highlights your idea (such as which approach to foreign policy makes the most sense, etc.). The outline should be an introduction to YOUR approach to the question, not just a repetition of the question or a general discussion of foreign policy, etc. If you’re stuck, imagine that you’re working in the State Department and you’re asked to tell the president which approach he should take to foreign policy. How would you phrase your response?

• Write a strong conclusion that not only wraps up your argument and gives a short summary, but also shows how smart you are by stating how your conclusions make sense (something such as ‘As my argument has shown, neo-Realism is not a realistic reflection of how international affairs are conducted in the 21st century.” or whatever your argument might be.)

• Use spellcheck and grammar check – it takes about a minute and you’ll get a better grade. Plus instructors can get annoyed by spelling mistakes and not realize the brilliance of your work in general. Not using spellcheck/grammar check is just randomly giving you a lower grade.

CENTRAL CONCEPTS AND QUESTIONS

• What is the image of the United States in other countries? • What was the Cold War and why is it still relevant

today? • What do we mean by media ‘frames’? • How do other countries ‘frame’ the U.S. and how

does this differ from how we think of ourselves? • Why does the international image of the U.S.

matter? What is ‘soft power’?

FROM BAD TO WORSE?

• Following charts are from http://www.worldpublicopinion.org/pipa/articles/views_on_countriesregions_bt/463.php?lb=btvoc&pnt=463&nid=&id=

• The global view of the United States' role in world affairs has significantly deteriorated over the last year according to a BBC World Service poll of more than 26,000 people across 25 different countries.

FROM BAD TO WORSE?

FROM BAD TO WORSE?

HOW THE US IS VIEWED IN THE WORLD

HOW THE US IS VIEWED IN THE WORLD

SOURCE

• http://www.worldpublicopinion.org/pipa/articles/views_on_countriesregions_bt/463.php?lb=btvoc&pnt=463&nid=&id=

• April 2008

WHY NOT JUST GIVE UP ON PROPAGANDA?

• Realism: the international system is essentially without order (chaotic, anarchic) and states pursue self-interest• Internationalism: states can act together for

mutual interests (alliances) • Isolationism versus internationalism

IMAGE IS KEY

• The idea of persuasion/image is important in foreign policy and international relations. This persuasion (propaganda or ‘public diplomacy’) is aimed at both foreign leaders and foreign citizens. We do this even though we know, to a degree, that propaganda doesn’t really work.

INTERNATIONAL THREATS TO THE US

• Economic interests• International terrorism• Civil wars• Unrest in former Soviet Union, Middle East, etc. • Drug cartels• Former Iraq, Iran, North Korea – rogue states with

weapons• Emerging dangers of chemical and biological

weapons

INVOLVEMENT OF US IN THE WORLD

• Foreign aid • Recent recipients of large US foreign aid: Israel,

Egypt, Philippines, countries in Latin America• Total economic and military assistance: $49.5

billion (2011)– about 1% of US budget• http://www.voanews.com/content/budget-cuts-hit-

us-foreign-aid-programs/1633892.html• Military budget about $684 billion in 2011

INCREASING US MILITARY COSTS

CAN THE USA BUY LOVE?

• Foreign aid is a budget buster.• In poll after poll, Americans overwhelmingly say they believe that

foreign aid makes up a larger portion of the federal budget than defense spending, Social Security, Medicaid, Medicare, or spending on roads and other infrastructure. In a November World Public Opinion poll, the average American believed that a whopping 25 percent of the federal budget goes to foreign aid. The average respondent also thought that the appropriate level of foreign aid would be about 10 percent of the budget — 10 times the current level.

• Compared with our military and entitlement budgets, this is loose change. Since the 1970s, aid spending has hovered around 1 percent of the federal budget. International assistance programs were close to 5 percent of the budget under Lyndon B. Johnson during the war in Vietnam, but have dropped since.

• http://articles.washingtonpost.com/2011-04-28/opinions/35231618_1_foreign-aid-foreign-assistance-act-aid-programs

ROOTS OF THE AMERICAN IMAGE: WHAT IS MEDIA FRAMING?

• Media ‘framing’ is the way in which the media presents information in a certain light

• Robert Entman: (2004) wrote that media framing is“selecting and highlighting some facets of events or issues, and making connections among them so as to promote a particular interpretation, evaluation and/or solution.”

FRAMING VS. PROPAGANDA

• Propaganda is a form of communication that is aimed towards influencing the attitude of a community toward some cause of position by presenting only one side of an argument.

FRAMING OF INTERNATIONAL ISSUES: COLD WAR

• Cold War frame (USSR/evil communists vs US/good capitalists). Think Red Dawn.

• Textbook: “One cannot hope to understand either recent or current American foreign policy without being familiar with the long years of the cold war.” (p. 485)

• Cold War was period of more than 40 years during which relations between the 2 superpowers of the USA and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR – biggest part is Russia) were tense and even hostile.

• One globe, two realities – truth lies somewhere in between

COLD WAR PROPAGANDA

COLD WAR PROPAGANDA

COLD WAR PROPAGANDA

COLD WAR PROPAGANDA

COLD WAR PROPAGANDA

INVASION OF THE BODY SNATCHERS

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFnSxeDfENk

COLD WAR PROPAGANDA

COLD WAR PROPAGANDA

RED DAWN 1984

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1_I4WgBfETc

FRAMING OF INTERNATIONAL ISSUES: WAR ON TERROR

• Define the War on Terror frame, explain how it emerged from the Bush White House in the wake of 9/11• How much does ‘soft power’ matter in the War on

the Terror?• How much can the U.S. government control its

image and how is that image is received in foreign countries? What can the U.S do to check how it is received?

USA ‘SPIN’

• What is ‘spin’? • How does the US government attempt to

influence how it is perceived abroad? How much money does it spend on this and who does it (i.e. which agencies are involved?). How effective is this? • How much does popular culture matter in terms

of the USA image? Discuss examples such as Hollywood, sports, etc. Is Kim Kardashian more influential than Hillary Clinton? If so, why?

NORTH KOREA

• Rogue state, left as Communist state after Korean War• Ruled by a family dynasty (grandfather, father,

son). In 2012, father (Kim Jong-Il) and son (Kim Jong-Un) takes over.

NORTH KOREA: THREAT OR JUST ANNOYANCE?

• NE Asia = recent increase in warlike rhetoric and activity on both sides of long-running conflict between North Korea and South Korea. South Korea is backed by the US. North Korean leader Kim Jong-un, has warned of a “simmering nuclear war”, ordered missile deployments and threatened to attack the US mainland

• US says it will defend itself and its “treaty ally” (South Korea) and has stationed the USS Fitzgerald (a 154-foot guided-missile destroyer) off the Korean Peninsula to defend against a possible strike.

• North Korea was angered by annual joint US training exercises with South Korea, which included flying 2 nuclear-capable B-2 stealth bombers as part of a ‘deterrence mission’ and the presence of the USS Cheyenne nuclear-powered submarine

HOW DIFFERENT COUNTRIES COVER THE NORTH KOREA CRISIS

• United States (Fox News)• http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2013/04/07/us-d

elays-missile-test-as-tensions-rise-source-says/• Russia• http://rt.com/news/korea-fourth-nuclear-test-473/• United Kingdom:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-22021832

THE LIGHTER SIDE OF POTENTIAL NUCLEAR CONFLICT

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-zu3rlYKrlk

PUBLIC DIPLOMACY IN THE INTERNET AGE

• What is the ‘Google Doctrine’ and can it work? • How does the internet provide both benefits and

challenges to Brand USA?

SOFT POWER VS. HARD POWER

• Ultimately, what matters more – Brand USA or the US military? What are the limitations to both approaches for the United States to maintain – or expand – its international reputation and influence? Are reputation and influence the same thing? Are reputation and influence equally valuable?

PREDICTION

• Given what you have learned about soft power and international relations, what will happen with North Korea? • What is the future for ‘Brand USA’ and why?

INTENDED LEARNING OUTCOMES

• Definition of ‘soft power’ and ‘public diplomacy’ • Realization that much of international diplomacy relies on

ideology and image, as opposed to military might• Basic facts about Cold War (communism vs. capitalism –

West/US vs Soviet bloc/USSR)• What is a media ‘frame’? • Understanding that news in other countries ‘frames’ the USA

differently from how we ‘frame’ ourselves • Understanding that citizens in many countries see the US

‘frame’ quite differently – hopefully some students can see why this matters

• How the US government tries to influence ‘Brand USA’• Influence of culture/sport/celebrity on ‘Brand USA’

SLIDES

• Will be archived on www.media-politics.com

GANGNAM STYLE N KOREA

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_cG7ZVBXQII