Who is the modern ‘traitor’? ‘Fifth column’ accusations in US and UK politics and media
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 6353447 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Dmitry Chernobrov (0000-0002-6598-0412) |
| Year | 2019 |
| Volume | 39 |
| Issue | 3 |
| Pages | 347-362 |
| Publication date | 2019-08-01 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | Politics (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 0032-3268 • E-ISSN: 1467-9256 |
| Publisher | SAGE Publications Inc (PUBLISHER) |
| DOI | 10.1177/0263395718776215 |
| OpenAlex | W2788086981 |
| Language | EN |
| Citations received | 10 |
| References cited | 31 |
Accusations of treason and disloyalty have been increasingly visible in both western and international politics in recent years, from Russia and Turkey, to Brexit and the 2016 US presidential election. This article explores ‘traitor’ accusations in modern politics, with evidence from British and American newspapers for 2011–2016. Besides British and American politics, results reveal reported ‘fifth column’ accusations in over 40 countries. I identify three dominant patterns: authoritarian states describing opposition movements as a ‘fifth column’; suspicion of western Muslim populations as potential terrorists; and the use of traitor language to denote party dissent in western politics. Employed across the political spectrum, and not only by right-wing or populist movements, accusations of treason and betrayal point at a deeper breakdown of social trust and communicate collective securitizing responses to perceived threats
Authoritarianism · Betrayal · Democracy · Dissent · False accusation · Media studies · Opposition (politics · Political economy · Political science · Politics · Politics of the United States · Sociology · Hate Speech and Cyberbullying Detection · Law · Misinformation and Its Impacts · Terrorism, Counterterrorism, and Political Violence
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| Unique citing works | 10 |
|---|---|
| Citations per year | 1,67 |
| Citation span | 2020 - 2026 (7) |
| Citation velocity | current |
| Highly cited | No |
| Citation types | Neutral: 10 |