Communicating NATO in the Asia-Pacific Press: Comparative Analysis of Patterns of NATO’s Visibility, Capability, Evaluation, and Local Resonance

Abstract

ABSTRACTThis article provides a reflection on the communication phase in a narrative’s cycle. It explores and compares NATO narratives communicated by influential press in NATO’s five Asia-Pacific strategic partners (16 media outlets observed on a daily basis between February–July 2015). The analysis traces NATO narratives communicated to broader society on the system, identity, and policy-issue levels. Innovatively linking strategic narrative theory by Miskimmon, O’Loughlin, and Roselle and the cascading activation framing theory by Entman, the article explores a range of narratives and assesses what narratives enjoyed higher visibility, stronger local resonance, and more pronounced emotive charge while communicating NATO as a capable IR actor. The article operationalizes and modifies elements of Entman’s theory (visibility, local resonance, and emotive charge, adding a category of capability), and then tests hypotheses based on this, using the inferential statistics Rasch Measurement Model. The article ends with a set of policy recommendations to NATO’s public diplomacy on how to capitalize on opportunities these narratives present and how to tackle challenges (specifically low local resonance and limited media visibility of the narratives).