The role of transnational television in international political decision-making after the cold war
This research investigates the role of media in the area of foreign policy, and especially the role of the 24/7 international news channels; it argues that media can make an impact on the process of political decision-making, rather than on the content of the policies themselves, and it specifies when, where and under what conditions this interaction can take place, including the most important features of both media coverage and political process. The interdisciplinary strategy of the research was implemented through two interrelated comparative analyses: (a) an assessment of the impact of the two international TV news channels, CNN International and BBC World, on a specific international political decision in comparison to the relative impact of other factors; and (b) the application of this procedure to two relevant case studies, which are, together with the content analysis, the primary research tools. Two cases with similar political/historical/strategic circumstances, but with different political outcomes, have been selected: Kosovo, before the beginning of NATO air strikes in 1999; and Darfur, in the periods of political discussion about possible international action in 2004 and in 2006.
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