Dissemination of Anti-Communist Discourse in the Post War United States: A Case Study of Foreign Affairs Magazine

Year 2025, Volume: 80 Issue: 1, 113 - 133, 13.03.2025

Zeynep Elif Koç , Murat Önsoy

https://doi.org/10.33630/ausbf.1417047

Abstract

In liberal democracies, it is generally believed that policies are made in accordance with public opinion. Foreign policy decisions are no exception. While pursuing a certain path, decision-makers often have future elections in mind. As a result, public opinion becomes a determining factor in foreign policy-making processes. This paper, however, takes a different perspective. It argues that the media, particularly in the form of think-tank articles written by experts with years of government and private expertise, may facilitate public compliance with official policies via efforts to ensure public consent with the application of a common discursive framework. On that basis, this study explores textual relationships in the legitimation processes of formal foreign policy declarations of the US presidents via articles published in Foreign Affairs magazine. This study’s research design discusses intertextual links between the Truman Doctrine and selected articles from Foreign Affairs magazine within an anti-communist framework. It is concluded that the articles from Foreign Affairs magazine are intertextually linked to the Truman Doctrine, lending legitimacy to official US foreign policy actions among the American public both before and after the doctrine's announcement.

Keywords

US Foreign Policy, Foreign Affairs Magazine, US Presidential Doctrines, Anti-Communism, Critical Discourse Analysis

Dış Politika Kararlarının Söylemsel Uygulamalar Aracılığıyla Kamuoyunda Meşrulaştırılması: Truman Doktrini, Foreign Affairs Dergisi ve ABD'de Anti-Komünist Söylemin Yaygınlaştırılması

Abstract

Liberal demokrasilerde politikaların kamuoyu ile uyumlu bir şekilde yapıldığına inanılır. Dış politika yapımı da bu durumun istisnası değildir. Karar vericiler belirli bir karar verirken çoğu zaman gelecekteki seçimleri akıllarında tutarlar. Bundan ötürüdür ki dış politika yapım süreçlerinde kamuoyu belirleyici bir faktör haline gelmektedir. Bu makale kamuoyu-dış politika yapımı ilişkisine farklı bir bakış açısı getirmeyi amaçlamaktadır. Şöyle ki, devlet ve özel sektör deneyimine sahip uzmanlar tarafından yazılan düşünce kuruluşu makaleleri yoluyla siyasi kararlar ve kamuoyu arasında ortak bir söylemsel çerçeve yaratılarak, kamuoyunun rızası sağlanmakta ve böylece resmi politikalara uyumlandırılmaktadır. Bu çalışma, Soğuk Savaş’ın başlarında, ABD başkanlarının resmi dış politika beyanlarının meşrulaştırılma sürecinde, Foreign Affairs dergisinde yayınlanan makaleler ile olan metinsel ilişkiler araştırılmaktadır. Makale, Truman Doktrini ile Foreign Affairs Dergisi’nden seçilmiş makaleler arasındaki anti-komünist söylem bağlamındaki metinsel ilişkiyi post-yapısalcı bir pencereden incelemektedir. Lene Hansen'in Model 2 söylem analizini kullanıldığı makale, bu iki tür metnin söylemsel bağlarını araştırmaktadır. Makalede Foreign Affairs Dergisindeki yazıların metinlerarası olarak Truman Doktrini ile bağlantılı olduğu ve doktrinin açıklanması öncesinde ve sonrasında Amerikan kamuoyunun gözünde resmi ABD dış politikasını meşrulaştırdığı sonucuna varılmıştır.

Keywords

Metinlerarasılık, ABD Dış Politikası, Foreign Affairs Dergisi, ABD Başkanlık Doktrinleri, Anti-Komünizm

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