Framing and counter-framing in world politics: the case study of Russian International Broadcasting, RT

The burgeoning literature in IR has pointed to the importance of global communication for enriching our understanding of global politics. However, practically, few works provide comprehensive analysis of meaning construction that goes beyond the notion of strategic persuasion. This work will address this limitation by opening up to another, tactical level of discourse through the analysis of ‘competing’ discourses. This dissertation aims to advance understanding of framing and counter-framing in world politics with reference to the case study of RT. Empirically, it analyses how RT framed the Syrian Crisis in 2013 and the Annexation of Crimea in 2014. It focuses on the dialogic nature of international communication and applies a systematic methodology of framing and counter-framing to the case studies. The study analyses the dialogue between RT and its discursive rival, CNN, that emerges as a result of tactical efforts of the channels to promote interpretations. Making theoretical advancements in framing theory, the work proposes a structural model of data analysis. In particular, the work employs textual, visual and intertextual methods to extract sub-frames and identify meta-frames of the discourse. By exposing the countering strategies and the internal dialogism of RT’s narratives the work theorizes on the origins and implications of Russia’s defensive rhetoric