Theses Doctoral

Pen and Sword: How Foreign Propaganda Organizations Select Strategies

Peteris, Urte

This dissertation examines the use and variation of foreign propaganda strategies, focusing on how states utilize propaganda as both a communicative and political process in foreign policy. The wide range of observed propaganda strategies across various geopolitical contexts raises the question of what drives this variation.

This study theorizes that understanding propaganda as a communicative process in which state propaganda organizations engage is paramount to explaining why propaganda strategies are so diverse. Through a dual-framework approach that integrates communication theory and bureaucratic/organizational politics approaches from political science, the study develops a new theoretical framework for conceptualizing the strategic decision-making and institutional dynamics that shape propaganda efforts.

The research employs qualitative case studies, focusing on historical analyses of Radio Free Europe and Radio Moscow during the Cold War. The methodology involves thematic and comparative analyses, supported by process tracing, to uncover the causal mechanisms linking internal organizational processes to propaganda outcomes.

The findings reveal that propaganda is not merely a static tool of foreign policy but a dynamic, adaptive process influenced by the interaction of strategic objectives and the organizational environment. The study concludes that understanding this interplay is crucial for explaining the variation in propaganda practices and offers practical implications for counter-propaganda efforts and media literacy.

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More About This Work

Academic Units
Political Science
Thesis Advisors
Snyder, Jack Lewis
Degree
Ph.D., Columbia University
Published Here
January 15, 2025