Military Arms For Image And Profit: Culture, Propaganda And The Changing Arms Market (IF3605)

Gunboat diplomacy has evolved into the Propaganda of Power. The nineteenth-century practice of deploying advanced naval power to coerce lesser-powered countries to yield to the wishes of an imperial power (e.g., Britain) has shape-shifted into a twenty-first century practice of using superior air and sea capabilities to threaten the sovereignty and security of lesser-powered countries for the purpose of triggering fear. Russia and China have become adept at this new iteration of public displays of power. Such practices have enlivened the arms market, as countries deploying the Propaganda of Power seek to increase their image of menace by increasing their weaponry and as the countries that are feeling the brunt of that power propaganda increase military spending to defend themselves. The top three arms sellers – the U.S., Russia and China – have different cultural perspectives and needs, and those are guiding their respective behavior with regards to military activities. Curiously enough, this focus on current military weaponry, while both necessary and heretofore effective, has the feel of being out of date, as new weapons move up the list of priorities and change the very concept of a battlefield. The turn to cyber and digitized weapons will expand the range of the arms market and bring new players into the industry.