Suchergebnisse

Too often, existing literature has conflated the discourses that enabled the 'War on Terror', ignoring the contextual specificities of the states that make up the 'Coalition of the Willing'. Australia's 'war on terror' Discourse fills this gap by providing a full and sustained critical analysis of Australian foreign policy discourse along with the theoretical synthesis for a specific model of critical discourse analysis of the subject.

This thesis makes a contribution to knowledge by providing a detailed analysis of how Australian involvement in the US-led 'war on terror' was possible. Research of this kind has become more prolific, particularly with the birth of the field of studies known as Critical Terrorism Studies; however an in-depth study of the 'war on terror' discourse in Australia remains outstanding. The thesis seeks to redress this gap. The question being addressed in this thesis is divided into two interrelated parts. Firstly: how has Australia's 'war on terror' discourse been shaped? And secondly: under what circumstances did challenges to the dominant discourse occur? In order to shed light on these questions the thesis uses a genealogical approach combined with the analysis of public discourse using the critical discourse analysis method. The language of then Prime Minister Howard will be the primary focus in this analysis, given that Australia's involvement in the 'war on terror' was very much an elite-led project. Attention will also be paid to the language of key ministers, political opponents and other prominent actors. The voices of those who challenged the dominant discourse will also be subject to analysis in order to shed light on the ways in which discourses are destabilized. The focus of the study will be the time period 2001 until the end of the Howard Government in November 2007. In keeping with the genealogical method, however, consideration is also given to periods of Australia's history deemed relevant to the discourse. The thesis has three key findings: that the 'war on terror' discourse was so dominant because Howard successfully invoked narratives of identity and sovereignty that resonated with his audience. Secondly, that despite this dominance many actors voiced dissent and did so most successfully when they capitalised on inconsistencies within the discourse. This in turn shows that normatively progressive change is possible in difficult circumstances. Finally, the thesis revealed that John Howard used the ...

FROM THE BOOK:"The pit I was ordered to dig had the precise dimensions of a casket. The NKVD officer carefully designed it. He measured my size with a stick, made lines on the forest floor, and told me to dig. He wanted to make sure I'd fit well inside."In 1941 Janusz Bardach's death sentence was commuted to ten years' hard labor and he was sent to Kolyma-the harshest, coldest, and most deadly prison in Joseph Stalin's labor camp system-the Siberia of Siberias. The only English-language memoir since the fall of communism to chronicle the atrocities committed during the Stalinist regime, Bardach's gripping testimony explores the darkest corners of the human condition at the same time that it documents the tyranny of Stalin's reign, equal only to that of Hitler. With breathtaking immediacy, a riveting eye for detail, and a humanity that permeates the events and landscapes he describes, Bardach recounts the extraordinary story of this nearly inconceivable world.The story begins with the Nazi occupation when Bardach, a young Polish Jew inspired by Soviet Communism, crosses the border of Poland to join the ranks of the Red Army. His ideals are quickly shattered when he is arrested, court-martialed, and sentenced to death. How Bardach survives an endless barrage of brutality-from a near-fatal beating to the harsh conditions and slow starvation of the gulag existence-is a testament to human endurance under the most oppressive circumstances. Besides being of great historical significance, Bardach's narrative is a celebration of life and a vital affirmation of what it means to be human