Media and the Politics of Failure

Great powers are not supposed to lose wars, so how do leaders explain military defeat when it happens? Media and the Politics of Failure analyzes the American experience in Vietnam and the Soviet experience in Afghanistan to draw larger conclusions about how and why political leaders explain the end of military involvement. In spite of differences in political and media systems, there are remarkable similarities between American and Soviet leaders’ communication strategies. Great power identity and domestic politics shape an explanation of withdrawal that emphasizes success and invokes prestige. The factors that shape the construction of the story did not disappear with the end of the Cold War; thus, this work offers important insights for current American and Russian military efforts.

Laura Roselle is a Professor of Political Science at Elon University.