Leiden University Student Repository

Mantakas, Ioannis (2021)

The Evolution Of The Role Of The News Media In The Shaping Of The US’ Foreign Policy: From Ronald Reagan To Donald Trump: Case Study On The Influence Of The News Media Coverage On The US Foreign Policy Towards Syria

Bachelor thesis | International Studies (BA)

Since the start of the civil war in 2011, Syria has attracted a lot of attention due to the millions of refugees and hundreds of thousands of deaths that it has caused.While it is difficult to uncover the exact reasons for which the numerous actors are involved in this civil war, as the years go by, different schools of thought will research this war and give different explanations.In this thesis what is of interest is to take a closer look at the changes in the American foreign policy in the scope of the civil war in Syria. What is researched is the determinant role that the news media might have played in the relations of those two countries.Thus, the hypothesis which is examined in this research is that the news media have played an important role in the shifts of the American foreign policy towards Syria from Reagan to Trump, which contributed to a further escalation of the civil war that started in 2011.Then, having outlined the four different phases that will be outlined in...Show moreSince the start of the civil war in 2011, Syria has attracted a lot of attention due to the millions of refugees and hundreds of thousands of deaths that it has caused.While it is difficult to uncover the exact reasons for which the numerous actors are involved in this civil war, as the years go by, different schools of thought will research this war and give different explanations.In this thesis what is of interest is to take a closer look at the changes in the American foreign policy in the scope of the civil war in Syria. What is researched is the determinant role that the news media might have played in the relations of those two countries.Thus, the hypothesis which is examined in this research is that the news media have played an important role in the shifts of the American foreign policy towards Syria from Reagan to Trump, which contributed to a further escalation of the civil war that started in 2011.Then, having outlined the four different phases that will be outlined in the analysis, the thesis initially seeks to draw a link between the news media and foreign policies by looking at the field of international relations. In turn, having drawn a relation, what is introduced is the media framing theory in order to discover how the news media are involved in foreign policymaking. Consequently what is discussed is the debate around the CNN Effect, an aspect which can fall under the framing theory and consists of the increasing ability of the media to influence foreign policy and diplomacy.Show less

American Foreign Policy

Media Framing Theory

Foreign Policy Making

The CNN Effect

Author

Mantakas, Ioannis

Faculty

Faculty of Humanities

Specialisation

Middle East

Supervisors

M.S. Berger

ECTS Credits

15

Language

en