Soft Power and International Relations: A Comparative Analysis of Portrayal of the United States in the Press of China, India and Pakistan (original) (raw)

United States' hegemony has been the most peculiar feature of the post-Cold War international order. In the view of the United States primacy in a unipolar system that was created in the aftermath of Cold War, the United States enjoyed an unprecedented dominance over the material resource that it claimed. Not only material but the West, particularly the United States enjoyed hegemony over the information flow as well which led to the demand of a new world information communication order or as it came to be known ubiquitously as NWICO by the third world nations. However, the reality now stands challenged with the rise of China. Both the countries have been able to utilize the soft power of media within and outside their boundaries and the agenda setting theory have proved beneficial for both the sides. As the United States struggles to maintain its presence in Asia, it is of imperative concern to understand the dynamics of the United States interaction with Asian states like China, India and Pakistan which could ultimately tip off the balance of power. The purpose of this research is to study the dynamics of the afore mentioned relationship from the perspective of media. Hence, this research analyzes the portrayal of the United States in the press of China (China Daily), India (The Hindu) and Pakistan (Dawn). This research paper uses the content analysis method to analyze the information pieces which includes editorials, news stories and opinion articles from December 2017 onwards till February 2018. The themes that are developed for the purpose of this study are: United States economic policies and trade practices, United States foreign policy and international relations, Donald Trump's leadership and related controversies and Trump's administration and United States politics. This research proves media as an equivalent to military might and provides another perspective to the balance of power theory in contemporary times.