Propaganda And Power In The Age Of Globalization

"Following victory in World War II, the US and Western Europe claimed to be the champions of the political ideals of democracy and freedom, along with the economic ideal of free market capitalism. Two decades into the twenty-first century, these once noble ideals have been reduced to little more than myths. Myths that bear scant resemblance to the realities of the powerful political and economic forces that dominate the Western world. This book examines the dangerous prospects we face as the societies built upon these myths begin to fragment and crumble. In an open and accessible style this book argues that much of the confusion that currently plagues the West is due to the fact that its social, economic and political systems are saturated by a little understood and rarely acknowledged system of propaganda. This book seeks to clear away this propagandistic façade in order to reveal where power really lies in Western societies, examining how this power functions and how it has corrupted the ideals of democracy, freedom and capitalism to suit its own ends. This volume will be of value to those interested in modern history and social and political history"--

This book investigates the relationship between the Chinese Communist Party's crucial goal of using the propaganda system to consolidate its power within the domestic political environment and its prominent recent attempts to use propaganda overseas to increase China's international power.

As Philip Taylor has written, 'The challenge (of the modern information age) is to ensure that no single propaganda source gains monopoly over the information and images that shape our thoughts. If this happens, the war propagandists will be back in business again.'Propaganda came of age in the Twentieth Century. The development of mass- and multi-media offered a fertile ground for propaganda while global conflict provided the impetus needed for its growth. Propaganda has however become a portmanteau word, which can be interpreted in a number of different ways. What are the characteristic feat.

Global politics in the information age, available in paperback for the first time, presents a provocative and wide-ranging introduction to the notion that information technologies are creating new formations of power, control and resistance across the planet. The essays - ranging from the language used by the Bush administration to shape the war on terror, the attempts to control the circulation of informational products, the strategies of media management deployed to shape how the war in Iraq during 2003 was presented in the public sphere, through to the attempts to ‘brand’ economic globalisation and strategies of resistance developed by the anti-globalisation movement - unearth the new transformations that are unfolding in the twenty first century. This collection of essays brings together academics working across the social sciences - from International Relations, Political Economy, Sociology and Media Studies - to provide the reader with a number of different perspectives on the way that flows of images, capital, ideologies and informational goods are creating global spaces of control and resistance. The book seeks to rethink approaches to global politics that see information society as closing down spaces of resistance, while at the same time exploring the new formations of power that informational society is making possible. The book offers clearly explained theoretical insight into the debates that are shaping discussion on global politics and information society, with case studies that will be of interest to the student seeking to make sense of the changes that are unfolding.

This title provides compelling evidence of how the study and practice of propaganda today is shaped by its history

A compelling and controversial look at the power of new ideas in the age of debt, unconventional economics and the internet. The book investigates how, in a word, new economic thinking can shake the orthodoxy of tired arguments and create real change. In a world dominated by financial and political obfuscation and media manipulation the subject of money is held up to the mirror in a revealing and extraordinary experiment of new arguments and ideas. Propaganda in the 21st Century is an essential read for all who wish to understand how power is gained, controlled and wielded in the age of debt, fiat economics and rapacious inequality.

This book shows how disinformation spread by partisan organizations and media platforms undermines institutional legitimacy on which authoritative information depends.

This timely book presents a multifaceted look at war, media, and propaganda from international perspectives. Focusing on the media's role in global conflicts, prominent authors, journalists, scholars, and researchers provide an insightful overview of the impact of globalization on media practices. They explore war coverage, propaganda techniques, public opinion, and the effects of media globalization on human affairs and communication, as well as the cultural-political implications for the United States and other countries around the world.

Joseph Nye coined the term "soft power" in the late 1980s. It is now used frequently—and often incorrectly—by political leaders, editorial writers, and academics around the world. So what is soft power? Soft power lies in the ability to attract and persuade. Whereas hard power—the ability to coerce—grows out of a country's military or economic might, soft power arises from the attractiveness of a country's culture, political ideals, and policies. Hard power remains crucial in a world of states trying to guard their independence and of non-state groups willing to turn to violence. It forms the core of the Bush administration's new national security strategy. But according to Nye, the neo-conservatives who advise the president are making a major miscalculation: They focus too heavily on using America's military power to force other nations to do our will, and they pay too little heed to our soft power. It is soft power that will help prevent terrorists from recruiting supporters from among the moderate majority. And it is soft power that will help us deal with critical global issues that require multilateral cooperation among states. That is why it is so essential that America better understands and applies our soft power. This book is our guide.