Viruses, vaccines, and power Russia's strategic use of information in the COVID-19 crisis

At the beginning of 2020, humanity faced a new global enemy: the coronavirus (COVID-19). While some countries viewed vaccine development solely as a means to improve public health, others saw it as an opportunity to advance their political agenda. One method used to accomplish these goals during the...

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Päätekijä: Tuominen, Ksenia
Muut tekijät: Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, Humanistis-yhteiskuntatieteellinen tiedekunta, Department of Social Sciences and Philosophy, Department of Language and Communication Studies, Yhteiskuntatieteiden ja filosofian laitos, Kieli- ja viestintätieteiden laitos, University of Jyväskylä, Jyväskylän yliopisto
Aineistotyyppi: Pro gradu
Kieli:eng
Julkaistu: 2024
Aiheet:
Linkit: https://jyx.jyu.fi/handle/123456789/95643
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author Tuominen, Ksenia
author2 Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences Humanistis-yhteiskuntatieteellinen tiedekunta Department of Social Sciences and Philosophy Department of Language and Communication Studies Yhteiskuntatieteiden ja filosofian laitos Kieli- ja viestintätieteiden laitos University of Jyväskylä Jyväskylän yliopisto
author_facet Tuominen, Ksenia Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences Humanistis-yhteiskuntatieteellinen tiedekunta Department of Social Sciences and Philosophy Department of Language and Communication Studies Yhteiskuntatieteiden ja filosofian laitos Kieli- ja viestintätieteiden laitos University of Jyväskylä Jyväskylän yliopisto Tuominen, Ksenia Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences Humanistis-yhteiskuntatieteellinen tiedekunta Department of Social Sciences and Philosophy Department of Language and Communication Studies Yhteiskuntatieteiden ja filosofian laitos Kieli- ja viestintätieteiden laitos University of Jyväskylä Jyväskylän yliopisto
author_sort Tuominen, Ksenia
datasource_str_mv jyx
description At the beginning of 2020, humanity faced a new global enemy: the coronavirus (COVID-19). While some countries viewed vaccine development solely as a means to improve public health, others saw it as an opportunity to advance their political agenda. One method used to accomplish these goals during the pandemic was by exercising sharp power, which involves intentionally disrupting the political and information environments of other countries. This thesis seeks to explore how Russia has used sharp power to advance its interests during the coronavirus pandemic. This research explores the strategic use of information by state-sponsored media outlet, Russia Today (RT), and examines how Russia employed its vaccine diplomacy and vaccine-related discourse as a means of exerting its influence and achieving its strategic goals., Fairclough’s model of Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) accompanied by Van Dijk’s Ideological Square were chosen as a method to investigate Russia Today's coverage of the Sputnik V vaccine. Twenty-one Russia Today articles were analysed to identify key discourses, discursive frameworks, and underlying ideology. The research showed that RT had used two main discourses, which can be seen as a part of Russian sharp power tools: Russian Superiority and Critique of the West. To create these discourses RT used various discursive frameworks, such as different rhetorical devices and tropes, propaganda techniques and discursive strategies. The findings contribute to an understanding of the mechanisms of sharp power and their potential consequences. Additionally, the results of the analysis suggest ways of identifying and counteracting sharp power, which is crucial knowledge for the future safety of international relations. The research also underlines the necessity for democratic institutions to differentiate between soft and sharp power in their foreign policy strategies. Vuoden 2020 alussa ihmiskunta kohtasi uuden maailmanlaajuisen vihollisen: koronaviruksen (COVID-19). Vaikka jotkin maat näkivät rokotteiden kehittämisen vain julkisen terveyden parantamiskeinona, toiset pitivät sitä mahdollisuutena edistää poliittista agendaansa. Yksi pandemian aikana käytetty menetelmä näiden tavoitteiden saavuttamiseksi oli terävän vallan käyttö, joka tarkoittaa tarkoituksellista häirintää toisten maiden poliittisissa ja informaatioympäristöissä. Tässä tutkimuksessa pyritään tutkimaan terävän vallan ilmiötä, korostaen, miten Venäjä on käyttänyt terävää valtaa edistääkseen omia etujaan koronaviruspandemian aikana. Tässä pro-gradussa tutkitaan strategista tiedonkäyttöä valtion tukeman median, Russia Todayn, toimesta ja tarkastellaan, miten Venäjä on hyödyntänyt rokotediplomatiaansa ja rokoteaiheista diskurssiaan vaikutusvaltansa laajentamiseen ja strategisten tavoitteidensa saavuttamiseen. Fairclough’n kriittisen diskurssianalyysin malli yhdessä Van Dijkin ideologisen neliön kanssa valittiin metodiksi tutkimaan Russia Todayn raportointia Sputnik V -rokotteesta. Tutkimuksessa analysoitiin kahtakymmentäyhtä Russia Todayn artikkelia keskeisten diskurssien, diskurssikehysten ja taustalla olevan ideologian tunnistamiseksi sekä mahdollisten kaavojen tai ennakkoluulojen paljastamiseksi. Tutkimus osoitti, että RT on käyttänyt kahta päädiskurssia, jotka voidaan nähdä osana Venäjän terävän vallan työkaluja: Venäjän ylivoimaisuutta ja Lännen kritiikkiä. Näiden diskurssien luomiseen RT käytti erilaisia diskurssikehyksiä, kuten erilaisia retorisia keinoja, propagandatekniikoita ja diskurssistrategioita. Löydökset auttavat ymmärtämään terävän vallan mekanismeja ja niiden mahdollisia seurauksia. Lisäksi analyysin tulokset ehdottavat keinoja terävän vallan tunnistamiseksi ja vastustamiseksi, mikä on tärkeää kansainvälisten suhteiden tulevaisuuden turvallisuuden kannalta. Tutkimus korostaa myös demokraattisten instituutioiden tarvetta erottaa pehmeä ja terävä valta ulkopolitiikan strategioissaan.
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While some countries viewed vaccine development solely as a means to improve public health, others saw it as an opportunity to advance their political agenda. One method used to accomplish these goals during the pandemic was by exercising sharp power, which involves intentionally disrupting the political and information environments of other countries. This thesis seeks to explore how Russia has used sharp power to advance its interests during the coronavirus pandemic.\n\nThis research explores the strategic use of information by state-sponsored media outlet, Russia Today (RT), and examines how Russia employed its vaccine diplomacy and vaccine-related discourse as a means of exerting its influence and achieving its strategic goals., Fairclough\u2019s model of Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) accompanied by Van Dijk\u2019s Ideological Square were chosen as a method to investigate Russia Today's coverage of the Sputnik V vaccine. 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spellingShingle Tuominen, Ksenia Viruses, vaccines, and power : Russia's strategic use of information in the COVID-19 crisis critical discourse analysis Fairclough Van Dijk sharp power Russia Russia Today superiority Political Science Master's Degree Programme in Intercultural Communication Valtio-oppi Intercultural Communication (maisteriohjelma 208 3134 COVID-19 pandemiat diskurssianalyysi rokotteet media politiikka pandemics discourse analysis vaccines politics
title Viruses, vaccines, and power : Russia's strategic use of information in the COVID-19 crisis
title_full Viruses, vaccines, and power : Russia's strategic use of information in the COVID-19 crisis
title_fullStr Viruses, vaccines, and power : Russia's strategic use of information in the COVID-19 crisis Viruses, vaccines, and power : Russia's strategic use of information in the COVID-19 crisis
title_full_unstemmed Viruses, vaccines, and power : Russia's strategic use of information in the COVID-19 crisis Viruses, vaccines, and power : Russia's strategic use of information in the COVID-19 crisis
title_short Viruses, vaccines, and power
title_sort viruses vaccines and power russia s strategic use of information in the covid 19 crisis
title_sub Russia's strategic use of information in the COVID-19 crisis
title_txtP Viruses, vaccines, and power : Russia's strategic use of information in the COVID-19 crisis
topic critical discourse analysis Fairclough Van Dijk sharp power Russia Russia Today superiority Political Science Master's Degree Programme in Intercultural Communication Valtio-oppi Intercultural Communication (maisteriohjelma 208 3134 COVID-19 pandemiat diskurssianalyysi rokotteet media politiikka pandemics discourse analysis vaccines politics
topic_facet 208 3134 COVID-19 Fairclough Intercultural Communication (maisteriohjelma Master's Degree Programme in Intercultural Communication Political Science Russia Russia Today Valtio-oppi Van Dijk critical discourse analysis discourse analysis diskurssianalyysi media pandemiat pandemics politics politiikka rokotteet sharp power superiority vaccines
url https://jyx.jyu.fi/handle/123456789/95643 http://www.urn.fi/URN:NBN:fi:jyu-202406074405
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