Role of Media as a Non-State Actor in Decision-Making

Name:
Institution Affiliation:
Instructor:
Course:
Date:
Non State Actors
Introduction
Non-state actors refer to individuals or organizations that are not affiliated or funded by the government. These actors have a dominant economic, political and social power which influences policies at the national and international level. International non-governmental organizations (INGOs) and media are significantly increasing in numbers all around the world. These organizations may include the Human Rights Watch, Greenpeace while the media include Twitter and Cable News Network (CNN). The non-state actors are essential and constructive players since they have the power to challenge conventional power politics at an international level. They also influence political processes and the actions of other players. This paper will examine the nature of power attributed to non-state actors such as CNN and Twitter and explain how they affect state behaviors and international outcomes.
The media plays a huge role in policy making at the international level. Lyse Doucet in her article “Syria & the CNN Effect: What Role Does the Media Play in Policy-Making?” she explains how social media and televisions influenced policies related to the humanitarian crises in Syria during the rule of President Barack Obama and Donald Trump (Doucet, pp. 141-157). The CNN effect is a theory in political science which stipulates that the use of shocking images related to humanitarian crises in the news networks may influence the general political and economic climate. In the case of Syria, human rights defenders and journalists hoped that by putting the reports and pictures of the situation in the ground on the television, they would help people to feel and call for action.
Both Presidents Barack Obama and Donald Trump were provided with pictures of the Syrian poison gas attacks in rebel-held areas. The images were taken by local activists and were posted on the social media which was the primary source of information since world’s leading media and western broadcaster’s visas were restricted, and the also feared the security risks. The information relayed by the press pushed President Trump to make a decision to launch targeted air strikes in Syria. On the other side, even though President Obama did not initiate the air strikes, he received pressure from senior advisors and other actors to something.
Twitter has also had an impact on international policies. Constance Duncombe in her “Twitter and transformative diplomacy: social media and Iran–US relations” she examines how Twitter has promoted digital diplomacy. This was evident when this socia...