Legitimation through Collectivization: Al Qaeda and US Discourses on the Use of Force

Author(s)

Motta, Barbara ^[1] ; Succi Junior, David P. ^[2]

Affiliation

^[1] Univ Fed Sergipe, Def & Int Secur Studies Grp GEDES, Int Relat Dept, Sao Cristovao, SE - France

^[2] Sao Paulo State Univ UNESP, Def & Int Secur Studies Grp GEDES, Grad Sch Int Relat, Sao Paulo - Brazil

• Document type: Journal article
• Source: STUDIES IN CONFLICT & TERRORISM; JUL 2021.
• Web of Science Citations: 0

Abstract

Discursive struggles for legitimation are a constitutive feature of the politically guided deployment of force. This dynamic of political communication frequently entails engaging with multiple audiences, such as international, local, and intra-group. As it compels actors to diversify their narrative strategies, it often results in conflicting statements. We argue that a particular discursive strategy, which we call the collectivization of the self, provides actors with an instrument to address different audiences with a singular narrative. We present this strategy through a content and qualitative analysis of Bin Laden's statements on terrorist actions and Bush's speeches on the intervention in Afghanistan. (AU)

• FAPESP's process: 18/11168-3 - From enemy definition to violence legitimation: armed forces employment inside national boundaries
• Grantee: David Paulo Succi Junior
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate
• FAPESP's process: 14/14071-0 - War is peace: the United States' securitization praxis in the Post-Cold War
• Grantee: Bárbara Vasconcellos de Carvalho Motta
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Doctorate