Ebook: Strategic communication : origins, concepts, and current debates

This book is about strategic communication. What, exactly, strategic communication is, what it includes, and what is excluded is hotly contested; discussions of possible interpretations of and definitions for strategic communication (and the implications thereof) constitute one of the core themes of the book. While what strategic communication is remains unclear to many, what is clear is that perceptions and understandings of images, policies, and actions matter, that the success of many policies is contingent on the support they receive from various populations (both foreign and domestic), and that perceptions are influenced both by what you do and what you say. These facts are particularly relevant in the realm of foreign policy, especially national-security policy. One of the greatest challenges of our time is the threat posed by violent extremism. Efforts to combat violent extremism must consider the beliefs, motives, and perceptions that predicate extremism as well as those that lead to support for violence. What is accomplished by killing or capturing the members of a terrorist network if the perceptions and beliefs that motivated the terrorists and their supporters remain to generate a similar network in its place? This book promises a set of answers to these challenges and spells out the peril that threatens if strategic communication is abandoned or done poorly. Read more... Content: Introduction : the promise and peril of strategic communication -- What is strategic communication, and what should it be? -- History of public diplomacy and strategic communication -- Who does strategic communication? -- Challenges facing U.S. strategic communication -- Improving strategic communication -- Conclusions and the way ahead. Abstract: This book is about strategic communication. What, exactly, strategic communication is, what it includes, and what is excluded is hotly contested; discussions of possible interpretations of and definitions for strategic communication (and the implications thereof) constitute one of the core themes of the book. While what strategic communication is remains unclear to many, what is clear is that perceptions and understandings of images, policies, and actions matter, that the success of many policies is contingent on the support they receive from various populations (both foreign and domestic), and that perceptions are influenced both by what you do and what you say. These facts are particularly relevant in the realm of foreign policy, especially national-security policy. One of the greatest challenges of our time is the threat posed by violent extremism. Efforts to combat violent extremism must consider the beliefs, motives, and perceptions that predicate extremism as well as those that lead to support for violence. What is accomplished by killing or capturing the members of a terrorist network if the perceptions and beliefs that motivated the terrorists and their supporters remain to generate a similar network in its place? This book promises a set of answers to these challenges and spells out the peril that threatens if strategic communication is abandoned or done poorly