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Framing the Threat : How Politicians justify their Policies / Imke Köhler.

By: Material type: TextTextPublisher: München ; Wien : De Gruyter Oldenbourg, [2019]Copyright date: ©2019Description: 1 online resource (XIII, 279 p.)Content type:
Media type:
Carrier type:
ISBN:
  • 9783110622140
  • 9783110622355
  • 9783110626056
Subject(s): DDC classification:
  • 320
Other classification:
  • online - DeGruyter
Online resources: Available additional physical forms:
  • Issued also in print.
Contents:
Frontmatter -- With Thankfulness -- Contents -- List of Tables -- List of Abbreviations -- Part I: Research Design -- 1. Introduction -- Part II: Theoretical Framework and Methodology -- 2. Constructivism -- 3. Discourse Theory -- 4. Security Discourse -- 5. Mode of Conduct -- Part III: Empiricism -- 6. Bush’s Security Discourse and Policies -- 7. Obama’s Security Discourse and Policies -- Part IV: Conclusion -- 8. Findings and Implications -- References
Summary: There is great power in the use of words: words create most of what we consider to be real and true. Framing our words and narratives is thus a tool of power – but a power that also comes with limitations. This intriguing issue is the topic of Framing the Threat, an investigation of the relationship between language and security and of how discourse creates the scope of possibility for political action. In particular, the book scrutinizes and compares the security narratives of the former US presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama. It shows how their framings of identity, i.e., of the American ‘self’ and the enemy ‘other’ facilitated a certain construction of threat that shaped the presidents’ detention and interrogation policies. By defining what was necessary in the name of national security, Bush’s narrative justified the operation of the detention center at Guantanamo Bay and rendered the mistreatment of detainees possible – a situation that would have otherwise been illegal. Bush’s framings therefore enabled legal limits to be pushed and made the violation of rules appear legitimate. Obama, in contrast, constructed a threat scenario that required an end to rule violations, and the closure of Guantanamo for security reasons. According to this narrative, a return to the rule of law was imperative if the American people were to be kept safe. However, Obama’s framing was continually challenged, and it was never able to dominate public discourse. Consequently, Framing the Threat argues Obama was unable to implement the policy changes he had announced.
Holdings
Item type Current library Call number URL Status Notes Barcode
eBook eBook Biblioteca "Angelicum" Pont. Univ. S.Tommaso d'Aquino Nuvola online online - DeGruyter (Browse shelf(Opens below)) Online access Not for loan (Accesso limitato) Accesso per gli utenti autorizzati / Access for authorized users (dgr)9783110626056

Frontmatter -- With Thankfulness -- Contents -- List of Tables -- List of Abbreviations -- Part I: Research Design -- 1. Introduction -- Part II: Theoretical Framework and Methodology -- 2. Constructivism -- 3. Discourse Theory -- 4. Security Discourse -- 5. Mode of Conduct -- Part III: Empiricism -- 6. Bush’s Security Discourse and Policies -- 7. Obama’s Security Discourse and Policies -- Part IV: Conclusion -- 8. Findings and Implications -- References

restricted access online access with authorization star

http://purl.org/coar/access_right/c_16ec

There is great power in the use of words: words create most of what we consider to be real and true. Framing our words and narratives is thus a tool of power – but a power that also comes with limitations. This intriguing issue is the topic of Framing the Threat, an investigation of the relationship between language and security and of how discourse creates the scope of possibility for political action. In particular, the book scrutinizes and compares the security narratives of the former US presidents George W. Bush and Barack Obama. It shows how their framings of identity, i.e., of the American ‘self’ and the enemy ‘other’ facilitated a certain construction of threat that shaped the presidents’ detention and interrogation policies. By defining what was necessary in the name of national security, Bush’s narrative justified the operation of the detention center at Guantanamo Bay and rendered the mistreatment of detainees possible – a situation that would have otherwise been illegal. Bush’s framings therefore enabled legal limits to be pushed and made the violation of rules appear legitimate. Obama, in contrast, constructed a threat scenario that required an end to rule violations, and the closure of Guantanamo for security reasons. According to this narrative, a return to the rule of law was imperative if the American people were to be kept safe. However, Obama’s framing was continually challenged, and it was never able to dominate public discourse. Consequently, Framing the Threat argues Obama was unable to implement the policy changes he had announced.

Issued also in print.

Mode of access: Internet via World Wide Web.

In English.

Description based on online resource; title from PDF title page (publisher's Web site, viewed 25. Jun 2024)