Media diplomacy: the negotiator's dilemma

Abstract

The concept of Media Diplomacy is examined, focusing on the influence of the media in the realm of international relations in general, and the military negotiator, in particular. Three geo-political government types are discussed, the United States as representative of a democratic government answerable to a free press; the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics as a state controlled system in the midst of transition to a liberated press; and a Third World military regime, specifically Brazil from the 1960s to the 1980s, with its development, control, and subsequent loss of authority over the press. Each geopolitical area study examines both the official and unofficial practitioners of Media Diplomacy. Offered in direct contrast to the authoritarian military regime is the establishment and development of the U.S. constitutional military. Although the Department of Defense efforts are reviewed, the focus is on the U. S. Navy and its past diplomatic efforts, the military's official and unofficial efforts at media diplomacy are explored.