'Strategic Narratives, Public Opinion and War' presented at NATO HQ in Brussels (30 June)
New book edited by Beatrice de Graaf, George Dimitriu and Jens Ringsmose
In contemporary wars, with public opinion impacting heavily on outcomes, strategic narratives provide a grid for interpreting the why, what and how of the conflict. Strategic Narratives, Public Opinion and War asks how public support for the deployment of military troops to Afghanistan was garnered, sustained or lost in thirteen contributing nations. The volume was edited by Prof. Beatrice de Graaf (UU), George Dimitriu (Netherlands Defence Academy) and Prof. Jens Ringsmose (University of Southern Denmark) and contains a preface by Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, former Secretary General of the NATO.
Searching support for the Afghan war
This volume explores the way governments endeavoured to build and maintain public support for the war in Afghanistan, combining new insights on the effects of strategic narratives with an exhaustive series of case studies. Public attitudes in the US, Canada, Australia and Europe towards the use of military force have been greatly shaped by the cohesiveness and content of the strategic narratives employed by national policy-makers. Assessing the ability of countries to craft a successful strategic narrative, this book addresses the following key areas:
- how governments employ strategic narratives to gain public support;
- how strategic narratives develop during the course of the conflict;
- how these narratives are disseminated, framed and perceived through various media outlets;
- how domestic audiences respond to strategic narratives;
- how this interplay is conditioned by both events on the ground, in Afghanistan, and by structural elements of the domestic political systems.
Book presentation
On Tuesday 30 June, the book was presented at the NATO Headquarters in Brussels. Jamie Shea, Deputy Assistant Secretary General of the Emerging Security Challenges Division led the discussion. The editors and authors also signed copies of the book on sale.
Below are photos of the book presentation. For more photos, please visit the NATO website.
About the book
Beatrice De Graaf is professor for the History of International Relations & Global Governance at the Utrecht University.
George Dimitriu is a Research Fellow at the Netherlands Defence Academy.
Jens Ringsmose is associate professor at the Center for War Studies, University of Southern Denmark.
- Title: Strategic Narratives, Public Opinion and War. Winning domestic support for the Afghan War
- Authors: Beatrice de Graaf, George Dimitriu and Jens Ringsmose (eds.)
- ISBN: 978-1-13-878042-2
- Publisher: 2015, Routledge
