Obama and the CNN effect
Speculation about the likely foreign policy agenda of Obama in the past week has touched at times on whether the US will be more likely to intervene in situations of genocide or ethnic cleansing, for example in Congo. This brings to mind debates about the 'CNN effect'. In the 1990s the emergence of satellite TV stations like CNN suddenly increased the scope for live broadcasts from zones of conflict and catastrophe, making audiences demand "something must be done" and politicians being pressured into intervening (or pulling out). Many politicians anecdotally suggest they did feel some pressure. When political leaders lack a clear policy, media could expose this, leading to policy on-the-hoof, without due consideration. But what we've seen in the last week is a different kind of media pressure. These commentaries may be preparing the US public, or other publics around the world, such that when Obama does command an intervention, nobody is too surprised. This is a more subtle and long-term media effect, as the parameters of the "thinkable" and "do-able" under an Obama presidency are sketched out.
Ben O'Loughlin
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Reader Comments (2)
Perhaps the issue has far deeper dimensions than whether news channels prod any affect to prompt any leader(s) to speak and/or act.
Among many several questions, here are some worth serious consideration:
When it comes to win hearts and minds, will Obama be able to overcome the rising tide of scepticism that his call for change in US approach was more about rhetorical rather than practical?
As a shrewd Chicago lawyer, one can understand what compelled Obama to make that statement. However as a graduate of Harvard Law School, and a teacher of Constitutional law, he may realize that his silence will cost him loose his goodwill capital at home and abroad both in the long and short term. As a potential arbitrator in foreseeable future, can Obama can afford to cherrypick issues?
By opting selectivity over sensitivity over the Gaza crisis there may be a looming risk that Barack Obama is bound to risk the goodwill capital he thought he will start with? Is Obama pragmatically weighing his options?
Speaking up and taking timely action is not a matter of choice but a responsibility, writes Zbigniew Brzezinski. In the concluding chapter of his recent book, Second Chance, Brzezinski notes the “nearly universal access to radio, television and the Internet is creating a community of shared resentments and envy that ... poses a challenge to both existing states and the global hierarchy, on top of which America still perches.” Brzezinski’s final warning, then, is that America must address those shared resentments or risk signing its death warrant as a superpower.