World propaganda and personal insecurity: intent, content, and contentment

In this chapter propaganda is viewed as all-encompassing and meta-ideological. A big tent concept, it includes both political and sociological forms. The latter may have political uses or outcomes. Propaganda can be crafted at all levels of human interaction. The focus here is largely on the international level, and a constructivist view is taken. It is argued that international propaganda operates at two levels - cooperation among states, and competition between states. Cooperation between states leads to, or is led by, the construction of normative superstructures - diffused international regimes. These regimes are associated with particular periods of history. Under a big tent definition they constitute propaganda. Contests of influence by states lead to each constructing its own normative superstructure, or propaganda bubble. Normative superstructures and propaganda bubbles are identified for three periods of history. The first was the 'Cold War and modernisation' period, that promoted a new diffused regime of North-South development cooperation; this was accompanied by East-West political competition, each bloc having its own propaganda bubble that sought to influence North-South development cooperation. The second was the 'globalisation and terrorism' period, that promoted globalisation and prosecuted the war on terrorism. The third is our present 'fractured globalisation' period - fractured by populist reactions to the Western working classes' underperformance, and Chinese overperformance - accentuated by the covid-19 pandemic. New propaganda is emerging around international competition and cooperation. Domestic propaganda bubbles within the US have grown salient, with consequences for foreign policy. Also discussed are intent, content and contentment. Some sociological propaganda is not intended influence. However political influencers draw on such pre-existing resource. Political propaganda invariably seeks to influence. Both authoritarian and liberal societies seek to influence. Content may be crafted with virtue and virtuosity to generate contentment in receivers. Rhetoric should go beyond virtuosity of composition to include civic commitment.