International Studies Compendium Project

Extract

Comment on this article   It is generally recognized that we live in the postmodern age and that therefore conflicts, among other social and cultural events, reflect the characteristics of postmodernity. Even if postmodernity defies any definition, it is generally recognized that the media are among the most important agents of postmodern revolution. Clarifying the role that the media play in contemporary conflicts is therefore essential for understanding conflict dynamics as well as for illuminating some characteristics of postmodern conflict. In order to make the analysis compatible with the scope of this essay, a restricted definition of the media will be used and works will be reviewed which concentrate on the effects of mass media in general, and news media in particular, on different conflict-related contexts, i.e. foreign policy making, conflict mediation, and warfare. Once the analysis is restricted to the most relevant works in the field, contemporary conflicts can be variously defined and labeled: they have been called wars that are “of the third kind” ( Holsti 1996 ), “postmodern” ( Gray 1997 ), “without identity” ( Laïdi 1998 ), “new” ( Kaldor 1999 and Shaw 2005 ), “virtual” ( Ignatieff 2001 ), “virtuous” ( Der Derian 2001 ), “humane” ( Coker 2001 ), and a form of “spectator-sport” ( McInnes 2002 ). Besides the nuances differentiating each scholar's view, contemporary ... log in or subscribe to read full text