In Geopolitics Today - Tuesday, July 13th
Eurosceptic Alliance Consolidates to Fight Against a Federal Europe and State Use of Humour in Public Diplomacy
Eurosceptic Alliance Consolidates to Fight Against a Federal Europe
At the beginning of the month, leaders of conservative political parties across Europe signed a joint declaration on their vision of a future for the European Union. The declaration criticises what it considers overreach by the EU bureaucracy, calling for national governments in Europe to harness more sovereign powers.
The declaration, titled the Joint Declaration on the Future of the European Union, represents somewhat of a rebuke to the Conference on the Future of Europe, which commenced earlier this year. More significantly, the Eurosceptic declaration demonstrates a mobilisation by conservative political groups across the EU as they prepare to collectively oppose efforts by European federalists to transform the European Union.
Conservative and populist parties in sixteen European countries signed the declaration. The signatories included leaders from across Europe, such as Giorgia Meloni, leader of the Brothers of Italy, Viktor Orban, the Prime Minister of Hungary, Jarosław Kaczyński, leader of the Polish Law and Justice Party, Matteo Salvini, leader of the Italian League, and others. The declaration states that European cooperation should be based on a respect for the traditions, history, culture, and Judeo-Christian heritage of European nations.
The signatories of the declaration are suggesting a path forward for Europe in which sovereign power is handed back to EU member-states, thereby weakening Brussels’ hand in their affairs. The signatories plan to hold a conference in Warsaw later this year. While the alliance will have their eyes fixed on the next European Parliament election, strong domestic showings for these parties in national elections could bring momentum to the movement going forward.
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State Use of Humour in Public Diplomacy
One fragment of international affairs that rarely fits neatly into established theoretical assumptions or frameworks of interpretation is humour. While humour has long seen use in politics and propaganda, the advent of social media has brought about dramatic changes in the way humour is used as part of public diplomacy. Short, memorable and easily distributable messages have become a popular way of communicating foreign policy to citizens, as well as waging narrative wars against adversaries.
Indeed, information told through humour is some the most widely circulated and memorised that we are exposed to. Research has demonstrated that individuals better recall political humour than even the news. What makes humour such an effective tool for public diplomacy is that the accuracy or truthfulness of humorous claims are not closely scrutinised, making them harder to challenge. In effect, humour can become a kind of breeding ground where controversial ideas, conspiracies, and political attacks survive and thrive.
Through humour, states typically frame events in ways that advance their state interests, whether this takes the form of deflecting unwanted criticism or challenging the narratives of others to achieve foreign policy goals. The strategic use of humour allows states to deliver a serious message that is simple, accessible, memorable, and able to capture the attention of both news media and the public.
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