When dealing with international relations between the United States and the United Kingdom, the Special Relationship frequently comes in handy as a paradigm, within which observable phenomena click into place. But what is the Special Relationship? Can we even say, it exists? This will be one question to deal with in this work. The other major question is: How does the Special Relationship behave in the media – how is it treated and by whom? And finally: Can the way the media deal with the Special Relationship be changed by a simple idea, that changes the preconditions for access to knowledge and the way journalists use their sources for their work?
First, I will give a brief summary of what WikiLeaks is, how it came into being, and what the core ideas and values are, that it stands for. Within the scope of that, I want to give a quick glance
towards the Propaganda Model, which extensively analyzes the way the modern (western) corporate media system works.
Second, I want to discuss different approaches towards the Special Relationship and find out, in which context it may be sensible to use the term and what it actually is, that it denotes in these contexts. I will restrict the scope of this chapter to things perceivable in the media.
Third, I want to demonstrate what the previous considerations of this paper can be used for when dealing with primary sources of two kinds: On the one hand, an actual diplomatic cable about the S.R., which was made public by WikiLeaks, and on the other hand, a selection of (print / online) media items that deal with the S.R., WikiLeaks and that aforementioned cable, respectively.
Finally, I will draw a number of conclusions to evaluate, the intricacies of the sources used and of the methods I made them undergo. If space provides that opportunity, I will dare a prognosis for what will happen to the S.R., considering the findings of this work. The time period in concern will be the latest period of American politics, as the inauguration of US President Obama seemed to mark a watershed for the S.R., as the primary texts will show.
The practice of abbreviating “Special Relationship” by “S.R.” is chiefly due to practical reasons and not intended to represent a comment on the term's validity. Nevertheless, I find the term as such valid
enough to capitalize its initials – also in order to denote the relationship between UK and USA and delimit it from just any special relationship that is not implied in the aforementioned meaning.
Table of Contents
1 Introduction
2 What is WikiLeaks?
2.1 Definition and Description
2.2 What is the Functional Niche of WikiLeaks?
3 What is the S.R.?
4 Analyzing Practices of Reporting
4.1 The Cable to Precede the Media Responses
4.1.1 09LONDON348 – “THE BRITISH ASK, IS OUR SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP STILL SPECIAL IN WASHINGTON?”
4.2 Pre-Cablegate Media Response
4.2.1 “HISTORY OF BRITAIN'S SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP WITH AMERICA”
4.2.2 “U.S. AND U.K. SAY 'SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP' IS STILL GOING STRONG”
4.3 Transition
4.3.1 “DEALING WITH ASSANGE AND THE WIKILEAKS SECRETS”
4.4 Post-Cablegate Media Response
4.4.1 “WIKILEAKS: BRITAIN MOCKED BY US OVER 'SPECIAL RELATIONSHIP'”
5 Conclusion
5.1 Questions – Answers!
5.2 What will be next in the history of the Special Relationship Narrative?
Research Objectives and Core Themes
This academic work investigates how the concept of the "Special Relationship" (S.R.) between the US and the UK is constructed, maintained, and challenged within modern media discourse, specifically examining the impact of WikiLeaks' Cablegate revelations on this narrative.
- The role of the Special Relationship as a media paradigm for international relations.
- The functional niche of WikiLeaks and its challenge to traditional journalistic hierarchies.
- Comparative analysis of media reporting before and after the release of diplomatic cables.
- The transition from "reading between the lines" to direct source availability.
- Assessment of the Special Relationship as a 20th-century narrative versus contemporary global priorities.
Excerpt from the Book
4.1.1 09LONDON348 – “The British ask, is our Special Relationship still special in Washington?”
The cable I found the most topically centered on the S.R. during my research proved to be 09LONDON348, filed by Richard LeBaron 9th of Feburary 2009 in the US' embassy in London. It is an account of how British media, society and political sphere react to the change expected in the S.R. “because of the new U.S. President's personal history.” The expected change (i.e., worsening) of the S.R. is traced to Obama's lack of “historical experience of the WWII and Cold War alliance with London”, his “formative years in the Pacific rather than in Europe, and his Kenyan grandfather's treatment at the hands of British colonial forces in Kenya.” Nevertheless, “more serious observers” would “worry about the future of the relationship [...] based on the UK political and economic landscape.”
Apart from this assessment of these conditions US-UK relations are facing, there is some bewilderment uttered given quality and quantity of the British concern with the S.R.: “British media and contacts are busy over-reading perceived signals for evidence of tensions in the relationship. This over-reading would often be humorous, if it were not so corrosive.” This note of bemusement seems to thwart the tone of good judgment and comprehensive understanding that is set in the remainder of the memo.
Summary of Chapters
1 Introduction: This chapter outlines the research questions regarding the existence and media treatment of the Special Relationship and introduces the role of WikiLeaks as a disruptive force.
2 What is WikiLeaks?: This chapter defines WikiLeaks as a transnational project, examining its technological infrastructure and its functional niche in exposing government secrets to bypass traditional media bottlenecks.
3 What is the S.R.?: This chapter explores historical and academic perspectives on the Special Relationship, contrasting the narrative approaches of scholars like Fröhlich and Dobson.
4 Analyzing Practices of Reporting: This chapter provides a comparative analysis of how various media outlets reported on US-UK relations before and after the Cablegate leaks, emphasizing the shift in journalistic access to primary sources.
5 Conclusion: This chapter summarizes the findings, evaluating how WikiLeaks has challenged the hierarchical nature of news distribution and offering a prognosis on the future of the Special Relationship narrative.
Keywords
Special Relationship, WikiLeaks, Cablegate, Media Discourse, US-UK Relations, Journalism, Transparency, Propaganda Model, Narrative Analysis, Diplomatic Cables, Public Opinion, Political Communication, Obama, Thatcher, Churchill
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the central focus of this research?
The work examines how the "Special Relationship" narrative is framed in the media and how this construction has been affected by the release of diplomatic cables through WikiLeaks.
Which thematic fields are addressed?
The themes include international relations theory, the evolution of modern media systems, the impact of radical transparency on political narratives, and the specific historical ties between the US and the UK.
What is the primary research objective?
The goal is to determine if WikiLeaks has changed the way the media deals with the Special Relationship and if this undermines the validity of the paradigm in contemporary politics.
Which methodology is applied?
The author uses a comparative analysis of selected newspaper articles (pre- and post-Cablegate) and evaluates the narrative structure of diplomatic cables against journalistic reporting.
What is covered in the main body?
The main body investigates the definition of WikiLeaks, the historical roots of the Special Relationship, and an analysis of how specific media reports handled confidential cables.
Which keywords characterize this work?
Core keywords include Special Relationship, WikiLeaks, Cablegate, media discourse, and diplomatic narrative.
How did the author define the "Special Relationship"?
The author treats it as a paradigm for cohesion, used by political scholars and journalists to make sense of complex international dynamics, rather than a strictly empirical fact.
What is the significance of "09LONDON348" in this text?
It is a primary diplomatic cable used as a case study to show how US officials viewed the British media's obsession with the Special Relationship during the Obama inauguration period.
Does the author believe the Special Relationship narrative will end?
The author concludes that while the narrative might persist as a 20th-century story, it is becoming less relevant compared to pressing global issues like economic stability and environmental crises.
- Quote paper
- Raik Lorenz (Author), 2011, The Cablegate Shock - Does WikiLeaks upset the "Special Relationship" Narrative of Transatlantic Relations?, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.hausarbeiten.de/document/191848
