Reaction Paper 1 - The historical context of international communication

In Chapter 1 of “International Communication: Continuity and Change”, titled “The historical context of international communication”, the author, Daya Kishan Thussu, argues that international communication was particularly impacted historically by the events of the Cold War, which opposed the capitalist ideals of the United States and its allies (the Western states), against the communist ideas of the Soviet Union. One of the tools that both states used was the radio, setting up multiple transmission stations around the world to spread their ideologies. The idea behind the set-up of these radio stations was that it was a fast and relatively affordable way to influence public opinion to their advantage, and that could reach massive scales of people. In other terms, the radio transmissions around the world were used as tools for propaganda. This was very important to these states, as public opinion and approval was, and remains, crucial in determining the power and legitimacy of political regimes.

Outside of the cold war, this technique was also used by the Nazi regime and Mussolini’s regime in Italy, among others, to gain favorable public opinion on political actions such as their efforts to conquer other lands.

These states, particularly Western states, were able to have a certain monopoly on worldwide radio broadcasting, mostly due to the “first come first served” system at the time, which meant that states with the most affluence and the more advanced technological means were able to gain control of the wavelengths.

I think that the use of radio stations was indeed a crucial tool in the survival, or attempt at survival, of the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cold War.

In the end, the Soviet Union was dismantled in the 1990s, as communist beliefs began to have a more and more negative image around the world, and support became less and less apparent. Of course, from an international relations perspective, it cannot be said that radio and forms of communication in general were the only factors in this dismantlement; but it did play an undeniable role in shaping worldwide public opinion, which is crucial in the survival of a regime. The monopoly of Western states over radio stations, and other mediums, can be seen as an integral part of communism’s decrease in popularity in my opinion.  

I believe the use of international mediums, including radio stations, to impact political influence is still existent today. The United States particularly continues these practices, an obvious example being the existence of Radio Sawa, a radio station financed by the United States that is aimed at promoting American ideas to young Arabs. Calling it outright propaganda is debatable, but it is clear that it is part of the efforts of the US to keep public opinion favorable towards them. Overall, the historical impact that media has had on promoting Western ideas to the rest of the world can still be felt today, and has actually increased tremendously in my opinion.