Romantic Narratives in International Politics : Pirates, Rebels and Mercenaries

' 'Romantic Narratives in International Politics' is a story about the importance of stories in International Relations (IR). It brings insights from literary studies and narratology into IR and political science by developing a new discourse analytical method of narrative analysis. Focusing on the three elements of setting, characterization and employment, the book argues that narratives are of fundamental importance for human cognition and identity construction; they help us understand the social and political world in which we live. Empirically the book looks at narratives about pirates, rebels and private military and security companies (PMSCs). It illustrates in the case of pirates and rebels that the romantic images embedded in cultural stories influence our understanding of modern piracy in places like Somalia or rebels in Libya. Dominant romantic tales marginalize other, less flattering, stories about these actors, in which they are constituted as terrorists and made responsible for human rights violations. In contrast, in the case of PMSCs in Iraq the absence of such romantic cultural stories makes it difficult for such actors to successfully narrate themselves as romantic heroes to the public. This book will be of interest to students and teachers of international relations, political science and cultural studies' --Back cover Cover 1 Half-title 3 Title page 5 Copyright information 6 Dedication 7 Table of contents 9 List of figures 10 List of tables 11 Acknowledgements 12 List of abbreviations 13 Introduction: once upon a time ... 15 Discourse analysis and the narrative turn 17 Political elite, media narratives and the role of culture 20 Structure of the book 23 1 Narrative analysis as an approach in IR 27 The concept of narrative and a story of its travel 28 Literary studies and narratology 28 Narrative psychology and cognitive narratology 32 Historical narratives 34 Narrative analysis and constructivism in IR 36 The construction of social reality and the notion of setting 40 The constitution of identity and characterization 42 The co-constitution of agent and structure and the role of emplotment 46 Practical application of narrative analysis 49 The consequences of and reasons for narratives 49 Narrative consequences and the question of causality 50 Reasons for narrative dominance and marginalization 51 Romantic narratives 53 Romantic settings 54 Romantic characterization 55 Romantic emplotment 56 Conclusion 57 Notes 58 2 German narratives of the pirate in Somalia 59 Romantic narratives of the pirate 61 Historical romantic stories of the pirate 61 The literary pirate 66 The popular pirate 68 German media narratives on piracy 74 Setting 76 Characterization 77 Emplotment 80 An alternative story: linking piracy and terrorism 81 Similarities between piracy and terrorism 83 Cooperation between pirates and terrorists 84 The use of pirate tactics by terrorists 85 Political piracy 86 The marginalization of the ‘terror-pirate’ story 88 Conclusion 94 Notes 94 3 British narratives of the rebel in Libya 105 Rebellion, revolution and romance 106 The romantic Arab rebel? 109 British media narratives on rebellion in Libya 114 Setting 114 Characterization 115 Emplotment 116 Romantic narratives on Libya among the political elite 118 Setting 118 Characterization 119 Emplotment 120 Alternative yet marginal stories of rebellion 121 The marginalization of crimes and human rights violations by rebels 121 The marginalization of a link between rebels and al-Qaeda 125 Conclusion 127 Notes 128 4 US narratives of private military and security companies in Iraq 139 Anti-mercenary narratives 141 A historical narrative dislike of mercenaries 141 Mercenaries in international law 144 Mercenaries in literature 149 US media narratives on PMSCs 153 Setting 153 Characterization 154 Emplotment 156 Marginalized romantic stories about PMSCs 157 A story about PMSCs as brave patriots 160 A story about PMSCs as noble humanitarians 162 The persistence of the mercenary link in the media, politics and pop culture 165 The mercenary narrative in the US media 165 The mercenary narrative in US political debate 168 The mercenary narrative in international law 170 The mercenary narrative in language and culture 172 Conclusion 176 Notes 176 Conclusion: the end 192 The story of the book 192 Marginalized and dominant narratives on romanticization 194 Narrator-based approaches 195 Story-based approaches 197 Audience-based approach 198 Beyond the romantic story: the tragedy of disaster 199 References 203 Index 230 Introducing Insights From Literary Studies And Narratology Into International Relations, This Study Examines The Romantic Narratives Of Pirates In Somalia, Rebels In Libya And Private Military And Security Companies In Iraq. Machine Generated Contents Note: 1. Narrative Analysis As An Approach In Ir -- 2. German Narratives Of The Pirate In Somalia -- 3. British Narratives Of The Rebel In Libya -- 4. Us Narratives Of Private Military And Security Companies In Iraq -- Conclusion: The End. Alexander Spencer. Includes Bibliographical References And Index. "[This book] ... brings insights from literary studies and narratology into [International Relations] and political science by developing a new discourse analytical method of narrative analysis [focusing] on the three elements of setting, characterization and employment ..." Provided by publisher