conflict & communication online, Vol. 4, No. 1, 2005
www.cco.regener-online.de
ISSN 1618-0747

 

 

 

Chanan Naveh
The role of the media in establishing international security regimes

This article focuses primarily on the media's impact on international security regimes. It explores the ways in which the media affect the lifecycles of international regimes, from the time they are first conceived of, through their establishment, consolidation and stabilization, up until their ultimate demise. Although this paper highlights the media's role in the evolution of security regimes, it is clear that, regardless of the regime in question, media play a role throughout the lifecycle of all international regimes, whatever their character.
In order to analyze the relationships of the media with security regimes in general, and specifically their contribution to each stage in their development, the article utilizes methodologies from the field of communication studies. It examines the media's agenda, "news values" and various functions, and their ability to mobilize public support for the particular issue of the regime.
To date, most studies have explored the interaction between media communication patterns and global developments at the state level, or in relation to the formulation of foreign policy, while largely ignoring the international dimension of the relationship. This article attempts to remedy this situation, and the relevant processes are analysed in a case study of the anti-Iraq international security regime. It should be noted that although the paper focuses on the specific anti-Iraqi regime, it is part of a more general Anti-Rogue actors regime which includes the war against global terrorism.
The study of the development of the anti-Iraq press-security regime teaches us that during international crises the media mobilize and unanimously support the regime fighting the "bad guys." But, when the regime develops and enters disputed turfs and begins to lose its legitimacy, media support diminishes, and the media may even develop into an opposing force and may join the actors fighting against this regime. Moreover, the study of the Iraqi case shows that the actors who operate and promote an international regime (whether it is a security regime or any other sort of regime) also need to prepare themselves for managing the international media. They must prepare proper media strategies, developing public relations systems that will try to influence the media to support and join forces with the regime and its norms.


 

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On the author:
Chanan Naveh is Senior Lecturer at the School of Communication Sapir Academic College. He teaches also at the International Relations Department, Hebrew University, Jerusalem. Until recently Dr. Naveh worked as a Senior Managing Editor - News Department, Israeli Radio, The Voice of Israel. Dr. Naveh's fields of interest include Media and foreign policy, international communication, the internet as an international media environment, and International regimes and media. He published papers in these fields and presented papers in international and Israeli academic conferences on these topics.

Address: School of Communication Sapir Academic College, D.N. Hof Ashkelon 79165, Israel. eMail: msnaveh@huji.ac.il