Strongman imperialism
Media infrastructures and the war on Iran
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 23019459 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Mehdi Semati (0000-0002-0512-2117, Northern Illinois University, corresponding author) |
| Year | 2026 |
| Volume | 19 |
| Issue | 2 |
| Pages | 95-98 |
| Publication date | 2026-06-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Communication Culture and Critique (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1753-9137 • E-ISSN: 1753-9129 |
| Publisher | Oxford University Press (OUP) (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1093/ccc/tcag023 |
| OpenAlex | W7165805768 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 7 |
This article frames the forum as an urgent reflection on the present conjuncture, marked by the U.S.–Israeli war on Iran, the expansion of the conflict in the region, and the collapse of the international rules-based order. It briefly sketches the political economy of the Persian Gulf and America’s “energy security” logic, which explains the conditions of permanent instability in the region. After offering a brief history of how media have portrayed Iran, this article argues that media, communication technologies, information, and narratives must be understood as integral components of the infrastructure of empire, situating this claim within a historical and geopolitical framework informed by media representations of Iran. This framework provides a space in which the circulation of transnational media myth that foreign military intervention can liberate Iranians without harming civilians, as well as the problematic separation of the people from the state infrastructures that sustain them, can be interrogated.
Agency (philosophy) · Geopolitics · International relations · Intervention (counseling) · Mythology · Narrative · Politics · Spanish Civil War · State (computer science) · Islamic Studies and History · Media Studies and Communication · Middle East and Rwanda Conflicts
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |