Oliver Boyd-Barrett – författare

This book furthers our understanding of the practice of propaganda with a specific focus on the RussiaGate case.

RussiaGate is a discourse about alleged Russian "meddling" in US elections, and this book argues that it functions as disinformation or distraction. The book provides a framework for better understanding of ongoing developments of RussiaGate, linking these to macroconsiderations that rarely enter mainstream accounts. It demonstrates the considerable weaknesses of many of the charges that have been made against Russia by US investigators, and argues that this discourse fails to take account of broader non-transparent persuasion campaigns operating in the election-information environment that are strengthened by social media manipulation. RussiaGate has obscured many of the factors that challenge the integrity of democratic process in the USA. These deserve a much higher priority than any influence that Russia may want to exert. The book concludes that RussiaGate discourse needs to be contextualized with reference to a long-established broader competition between great powers for domination of EurAsia. This pitches the US/European Union against Russia/China and perhaps, ultimately, even the USA against Europe.

This book will be of much interest to students of media and communication studies, propaganda studies, US politics, Russian politics, and International Relations in general.

This book furthers our understanding of the practice of propaganda with a specific focus on the RussiaGate case.

RussiaGate is a discourse about alleged Russian "meddling" in US elections, and this book argues that it functions as disinformation or distraction. The book provides a framework for better understanding of ongoing developments of RussiaGate, linking these to macroconsiderations that rarely enter mainstream accounts. It demonstrates the considerable weaknesses of many of the charges that have been made against Russia by US investigators, and argues that this discourse fails to take account of broader non-transparent persuasion campaigns operating in the election-information environment that are strengthened by social media manipulation. RussiaGate has obscured many of the factors that challenge the integrity of democratic process in the USA. These deserve a much higher priority than any influence that Russia may want to exert. The book concludes that RussiaGate discourse needs to be contextualized with reference to a long-established broader competition between great powers for domination of EurAsia. This pitches the US/European Union against Russia/China and perhaps, ultimately, even the USA against Europe.

This book will be of much interest to students of media and communication studies, propaganda studies, US politics, Russian politics, and International Relations in general.

Contributors consider how leading players like Reuters and Associated Press help to define the nature of both the Global and the Local as well as focusing on the network of relations between international and national agencies. The book also takes into account the attempts by some national news agencies to establish radically different news agendas. Demonstrating how the news agencies have contributed both to the process of globalization and, simultaneously, to the process of national construction, this book provides an important critical survey of the contemporary international news business.

Contributors consider how leading players like Reuters and Associated Press help to define the nature of both the Global and the Local as well as focusing on the network of relations between international and national agencies. The book also takes into account the attempts by some national news agencies to establish radically different news agendas. Demonstrating how the news agencies have contributed both to the process of globalization and, simultaneously, to the process of national construction, this book provides an important critical survey of the contemporary international news business.

This book investigates rival narratives about the conflict in Syria from 2011 onwards.

It examines the starkly different narratives about the Syrian conflict told by mainly Western mainstream and alternative media, and contrasts these narratives with the equally polarized but more nuanced narratives of mainly Western scholars and long-form journalists. Differences of narrative concerning the conflict include: what is deemed relevant context in trying to explain the war; whether the war is best seen as a civil conflict or as a proxy war fought among external powers; the degree of emphasis given to the alleged crimes of the Syrian regime as opposed to the alleged violence of Salafist militia; the accuracy of the "origin" story of the conflict in Daraa; the extent to which the initial protestors were secular campaigners calling for democracy or whether they were Muslim extremists seeking a sectarian society governed by sharia law. Several case studies of propaganda institutions are examined here, including the journalism of Marie Colvin; the role of government-funded NGOs; the controversies surrounding each of three major instances of alleged regime use of chemical weapons, and the politicization of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).

This book will be of much interest to students of media and communication studies, propaganda studies, Middle Eastern politics, and International Relations in general.

This book investigates rival narratives about the conflict in Syria from 2011 onwards.

It examines the starkly different narratives about the Syrian conflict told by mainly Western mainstream and alternative media, and contrasts these narratives with the equally polarized but more nuanced narratives of mainly Western scholars and long-form journalists. Differences of narrative concerning the conflict include: what is deemed relevant context in trying to explain the war; whether the war is best seen as a civil conflict or as a proxy war fought among external powers; the degree of emphasis given to the alleged crimes of the Syrian regime as opposed to the alleged violence of Salafist militia; the accuracy of the "origin" story of the conflict in Daraa; the extent to which the initial protestors were secular campaigners calling for democracy or whether they were Muslim extremists seeking a sectarian society governed by sharia law. Several case studies of propaganda institutions are examined here, including the journalism of Marie Colvin; the role of government-funded NGOs; the controversies surrounding each of three major instances of alleged regime use of chemical weapons, and the politicization of the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).

This book will be of much interest to students of media and communication studies, propaganda studies, Middle Eastern politics, and International Relations in general.

This volume interrogates the mediatized politics of western intervention in Afghanistan, to gain a deeper understanding of the occupation within the broader transition toward a multipolar global order.

Accurate histories of western interventions and regional realities are often obscured or even eclipsed in the accounts of western mainstream media, which, if anything, tend to rue the withdrawals and lionize the suffering of returning troops. This volume investigates the state’s role in the dark underbelly of the shortsighted interventionist media narrative, as well as the dehumanizing portrayals of people living in the Afghanistan–Pakistan region. In its opening section, the book critically evaluates the narrative of the Global War on Terror, as well as the wars launched after 9/11 that destabilized the Middle East. The chapters in the following section contextualize developments in Afghanistan with a historical framework that will problematize linear narratives that are mobilized in support of interventions. The chapters in the final section re-present specific aspects of the geopolitical and humanitarian consequences that have eluded mainstream media workers, including journalists and Hollywood moviemakers.

This book will be of interest to students of propaganda studies, media and communication studies, US foreign policy, and international relations.

This volume interrogates the mediatized politics of western intervention in Afghanistan, to gain a deeper understanding of the occupation within the broader transition toward a multipolar global order.

Accurate histories of western interventions and regional realities are often obscured or even eclipsed in the accounts of western mainstream media, which, if anything, tend to rue the withdrawals and lionize the suffering of returning troops. This volume investigates the state’s role in the dark underbelly of the shortsighted interventionist media narrative, as well as the dehumanizing portrayals of people living in the Afghanistan–Pakistan region. In its opening section, the book critically evaluates the narrative of the Global War on Terror, as well as the wars launched after 9/11 that destabilized the Middle East. The chapters in the following section contextualize developments in Afghanistan with a historical framework that will problematize linear narratives that are mobilized in support of interventions. The chapters in the final section re-present specific aspects of the geopolitical and humanitarian consequences that have eluded mainstream media workers, including journalists and Hollywood moviemakers.

This book will be of interest to students of propaganda studies, media and communication studies, US foreign policy, and international relations.

This book investigates representations of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in Hollywood films, and the synergies between Hollywood product, U.S. military/defense interests and U.S. foreign policy.

As probably the best known of the many different intelligence agencies of the US, the CIA is an exceptionally well known national and international icon or even "brand," one that exercises a powerful influence on the imagination of people throughout the world as well as on the creative minds of filmmakers. The book examines films sampled from five decades - the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s and 2000s - and explores four main issues: the relative prominence of the CIA; the extent to which these films appeared to be overtly political; the degree to which they were favorable or unfavorable to the CIA; and their relative attitude to the "business" of intelligence. A final chapter considers the question: do these Hollywood texts appear to function ideologically to "normalize" the CIA? If so, might this suggest the further hypothesis that many CIA movies assist audiences with reconciling two sometimes fundamental opposites: often gruesome covert CIA activity for questionable goals and at enormous expense, on the one hand, and the values and procedures of democratic society, on the other.

This interdisciplinary book will be of much interest to students of the CIA/Intelligence Studies, media and film studies, US politics and IR/Security Studies in general.

This book investigates representations of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) in Hollywood films, and the synergies between Hollywood product, U.S. military/defense interests and U.S. foreign policy.

As probably the best known of the many different intelligence agencies of the US, the CIA is an exceptionally well known national and international icon or even "brand," one that exercises a powerful influence on the imagination of people throughout the world as well as on the creative minds of filmmakers. The book examines films sampled from five decades - the 1960s, 1970s, 1980s, 1990s and 2000s - and explores four main issues: the relative prominence of the CIA; the extent to which these films appeared to be overtly political; the degree to which they were favorable or unfavorable to the CIA; and their relative attitude to the "business" of intelligence. A final chapter considers the question: do these Hollywood texts appear to function ideologically to "normalize" the CIA? If so, might this suggest the further hypothesis that many CIA movies assist audiences with reconciling two sometimes fundamental opposites: often gruesome covert CIA activity for questionable goals and at enormous expense, on the one hand, and the values and procedures of democratic society, on the other.

This interdisciplinary book will be of much interest to students of the CIA/Intelligence Studies, media and film studies, US politics and IR/Security Studies in general.