Tabloid realism and the revival of American security culture

• Published in: Geopolitics 2003-10, Vol.8 (3), p.151-190
• Main Author: Debrix, François
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Discourse; Fear; Geopolitics; International politics; International relations; National Security; Political culture; Political science; Realism; Rhetoric; Sovereignty; State Power; Territoriality; U.S.A
• ISSN: 1465-0045; 1557-3028
• DOI: 10.1080/14650040412331307752

At a time when notions like globalisation and cultural fragmentation are being used to describe the changing nature of international politics, a persistently conservative discourse of national security (re)surfaces in foreign policy literatures. The purpose of this essay is to analyse this 'new' discourse and sketch out some of its ideological intents. Referred to as 'tabloid realism', this discourse can be found in texts authored by American scholars such as Robert Kaplan, Samuel Huntington and Zbigniew Brzezinski. Tabloid realism is a discourse of geopolitics which resists the idea that territorial sovereignty and national security are currently being transformed. Imitating the narrative style of tabloid publications, tabloid realists seek to grab the attention of the public by providing highly sensationalistic and overtly panic-stricken representations of international affairs. By proliferating fear-inducing images of current realities and preparing for a soon to be anarchical future, tabloid realists hope to conservatively re-anchor the state to stabilising visions of national security, geographical borders, and economic interests.