СТРАТЕШКА КОМУНИКАЦИЈА КАО БЕЗБЕДНОСНИ ИЗАЗОВ НА БАЛКАНУ
STRATEGIC COMMUNICATION AS A SECURITY CHALLENGE IN THE BALKANS

Author(s): Gordana Bukumirić
Subject(s): Politics / Political Sciences, Politics, Security and defense, Military policy, Geopolitics
Published by: Institut za strategijska istraživanja
Keywords: strategic communication; strategic narrative; influence; national security; strategic culture; perceptions
Summary/Abstract: Strategic communication represents an important political function of the state in implementing the national security strategy and the broader strategy of influence in international relations. The goal of strategic communication is to build a respectable level of legitimacy for state authority and credibility for state policies, thereby enabling influence in shaping favourable conditions for protecting national interests and achieving national objectives in the strategic environment. To achieve this goal, the state must approach various communication activities systematically and in a coordinated manner. It is necessary to influence the perceptions and behaviour of the target audience and create shared meanings of the past, present, and future of international relations. The strategic narrative is a key element of strategic communication. Its function is to attract attention, direct communication, and create shared meanings to accomplish the main objectives of strategic communication: strengthening national unity and societal resilience, as well as increasing the legitimacy and credibility of the state on the international stage. The author of the paper focuses its research on the formation and projection of strategic narrative. In the first part of the paper, the author will address the theoretical aspect of strategic communication, with a special focus on the importance of narrative within this concept. Then, strategic narratives of the Republic of Serbia and neighbouring countries will be analysed in the context of security, socio-political, and cultural-historical conditions to assess their impact on regional security. In the final part, the author will argue that the effectiveness of a strategic narrative depends on the assessment of the strategic context, the recognition and acceptance of one’s own identity, and the socio-cultural characteristics of the target audience. Whether strategic communication becomes a source of new security threats or an effective tool for achieving strategic objectives mainly depends on the extent to which the strategic narrative respects the identity features and strategic culture of the target audience, as well as the strategic context in which the communication takes place—determined, as always, by the distribution of power among the great powers.

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