Cold War redux in US–Russia relations? The effects of US media framing and public opinion of the 2008 Russia–Georgia war

Bibliographic Data

ID6180765
AuthorsOksan Bayulgen (University of Connecticut), Ekim Arbatli (0000-0001-6771-5359, Russian Federation)
Year2013
Volume46
Issue4
Pages513-527
Publication date2013-12-01
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueCommunist and Post-Communist Studies (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 0967-067X • E-ISSN: 1873-6920
PublisherUniversity of California Press (PUBLISHER • US)
DOI10.1016/j.postcomstud.2013.08.003
OpenAlexW2056667387
LanguageEN
Citations received15
References cited44

This paper examines the Cold War rhetoric in US–Russia relations by looking at the 2008 Russia–Georgia war as a major breaking point. We investigate the links between media, public opinion and foreign policy. In our content analysis of the coverage in two major US newspapers, we find that the framing of the conflict was anti-Russia, especially in the initial stages of the conflict. In addition, our survey results demonstrate that an increase in the media exposure of US respondents increased the likelihood of blaming Russia exclusively in the conflict. This case study helps us understand how media can be powerful in constructing a certain narrative of an international conflict, which can then affect public perceptions of other countries. We believe that the negative framing of Russia in the US media has had important implications for the already-tenuous relations between the US and Russia by reviving and perpetuating the Cold War mentality for the public as well as for foreign policymakers

Cold war · Credibility · Foreign policy · Framing (construction · Mass media · Media bias · Media coverage · Media studies · Narrative · News media · Newspaper · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Public opinion · Rhetoric · Sociology · International Relations and Foreign Policy · Media Studies and Communication · Nuclear Issues and Defense · History · Law

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