The media and international relations : a focus on terrorism

Abstract

With the end of the Cold War, the world order that has emerged is characterised by globalisation and the increased interconnectedness of the international community. A fundamental characteristic of this is the mass media, that in its development has become all the more international in nature. The Media in itself has a tremendous influence, not only on national politics and society, but has also infiltrated international politics and affairs. By elevating the importance of public opinion, it has become a major player in determining the outcome of national and international political affairs - areas that are increasingly overlapping in this day and age of globalisation. With the era of globalisation have come new security frameworks and threats. One of the major threats to the international community today is terrorism. Though an age-old practice, the form into which it has presently evolved is ultimately international in nature, threatening the entire fabric of international society. Not only are its perpetrators of a more diverse international or foreign background, but so are its targets, its psychological and physical impact, and the issues for which they stand. The purpose of this dissertation is to assess the role of the media in international relations, namely in terms of the new security issues that have emerged with a specific focus on terrorism.