The Trap of Geopolitics: Rethinking EU Strategic Communication. College of Europe Policy Brief March 2021.

Valenza, Domenico (2021) The Trap of Geopolitics: Rethinking EU Strategic Communication. College of Europe Policy Brief March 2021. [Policy Paper]

PDF - Published Version Download (321Kb)

Abstract

As part of the European Union’s current ‘geopolitical turn’, strategic communication – combining reactive messaging and proactive narrative-building – is a key element of the EU’s response to increasing global contestation. Through its reactive component, the EU’s strategic communication is very much focussed on Russia, but still largely neglects that many other foreign and domestic actors deploy disinformation techniques, too. With its proactive component, the EU uses narrative-building and, in so doing, resorts to aggressive ‘othering’ – disregarding the role of ‘listening’ practices in building trust and mutual understanding with third parties. Instead of focussing on Eurocentric and securitising narratives, the EU should engage with the world on an equal footing in order to communicate even more strategically. To this end, a more self-reflexive top-level political discourse should be coupled with a holistic and joined-up approach to disinformation and a greater emphasis on ‘listening’ practices.

Actions (login required)