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Hollywood's War on Terror: the Representation of the Post 9/11 US Interventionist Foreign Policy by American Popular Cinemat

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Hollywood's War on Terror: the Representation of the Post 9/11 US Interventionist Foreign Policy by American Popular Cinemat HOLLYWOOD’S WAR ON TERROR: THE REPRESENTATION OF THE POST 9/11 US INTERVENTIONIST FOREIGN POLICY BY AMERICAN POPULAR CINEMATIC INDUSTRY BY MS. JARUKAN POTHISIT AN INDEPENDENT STUDY SUBMITTED IN PARTIALFULFILLMENT OFTHE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OFPOLITICAL SCIENCE IN INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS FACULTY OF POLITICAL SCIENCE THAMMASAT UNIVERSITY ACADEMIC YEAR 2016 COPYRIGHT OF THAMMASAT UNIVERSITY Ref. code: 25595703040039RKJ HOLLYWOOD’S WAR ON TERROR: THE REPRESENTATION OF THE POST 9/11 US INTERVENTIONIST FOREIGN POLICY BY AMERICAN POPULAR CINEMATIC INDUSTRY BY MS.JARUKANPOTHISIT ANINDEPENDENT STUDYSUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OFPOLITICAL SCIENCE IN INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS FACULTY OF POLITICAL SCIENCE THAMMASAT UNIVERSITY ACADEMIC YEAR 2016 COPYRIGHT OF THAMMASAT UNIVERSITY Ref. code: 25595703040039RKJ (1) Independent Study Title HOLLYWOOD‟S WAR ON TERROR: THE REPRESENTATION OF THE POST 9/11 US INTERVENTIONIST FOREIGN POLICY BY AMERICAN POPULAR CINEMATIC INDUSTRY Author Ms.JarukanPothisit Degree Master of Political Science Major Field/Faculty/University International Relations Faculty of Political Science Thammasat University Thesis Advisor Professor JaranMaluleem, Ph. D. Academic Years 2016 ABSTRACT As being world‟s leading cinematic industry, the Hollywood has an ability to influence and shape its worldwide audience in terms of their perceptions through its representational techniques. Throughout history, politics and entertainment industry have been intertwined since the former have always been inspirational to the content of the latter or the process can also be vice versa. Hollywood too, has long been responded to the subject of politics especially when it comes to American politics. The event of September 11, 2001 has opened the new era of American foreign policy towards the states that believed to be in some way involved with the terrorist attacks. This research was done from researcher‟s speculation about how the American foreign policy of the use of force to intervene other states is being presented through narrative of US filming industry with the selective criteria of mainstream films projecting American statesmen stationing in several operation camps to complete the task of War on Terror. Moreover, this research also provided how the image of unfamiliar places and its locals such as Iraq and Afghanistan are being created wholly from the American perspective. Most importantly, it is interesting to observe on Hollywood‟s stance on Ref. code: 25595703040039RKJ (2) the presumably controversial interventions of Iraq and Afghanistan that lately, more and more media or American news agency or society in general do regret these moves started by the Bush administration as a consequence of 9/11 attacks. In spite of public opinions that heavily criticize the two interventions, it is interesting to see if the industry, as world‟s dominant filming industry, whether it goes along the trend or not since the subject of plot and storyline can always be inspired by political factors. Nevertheless, the dominant theme of films carried this particular storyline does very little in terms of questioning the interventions since most of them chose to be quiet about the policy behind those actions. Keywords: War on Terror, Hollywood, US, Hegemony, Representation, Depiction, Other, Extraterritorial Power, State Officers, WMDs, National Interests Ref. code: 25595703040039RKJ (3) ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The MIR program has widened my perspective about the world and international politics which words cannot describe well enough how much I feel grateful for joining this program and have opportunity to meet every instructor and staff. I sincerely offer my appreciations to my adviser, Professor Dr. Jaran Maluleem, for allowing me to write on the topic that I am truly interested. He would always boost my enthusiasm despite how much I felt discouraged during my research journey. All of his kind suggestions, encouragement, and patience were the great contributions to complete this Independent Study. I would also like to express my gratitude to the Chairman, Assistant Professor Dr. Wasan Luangprapat, for the beneficial guidance that is so valuable for the comprehensiveness of this paper. In addition, I am genuinely very thankful of Dr. Srawut Aree for his advice that helped shaped this research into a proper direction. I would like to pass the word to my MIR 17 classmates that always cheered up and helped each other during the classes. I am fortunate to have these wonderful friends going through good and bad times throughout the course. Most importantly, I am so blessed to have my loving parents during my rough times in my Master‟s degree journey. Their kind support and understanding are what making me succeed today. Without them by my side, my achievement in MIR would have been impossible. Ms. JarukanPothisit Ref. code: 25595703040039RKJ (4) TABLE OF CONTENTS Page ABSTRACT (1) ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS (3) LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS (6) CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION 1 1.1 Significance of the Problem 1 1.2 Research Questions 3 1.3 Research Objectives 3 1.4 Hypothesis 4 CHAPTER 2 REVIEW OF LITERATURE 5 CHAPTER 3 RESEARCH METHODOLOGY 8 3.1 Research Methodology 8 3.2 Theoretical Approach 10 CHAPTER 4 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION 13 4.1 The Post 9/11 US Foreign Policy 13 4.1.1 The War in Afghanistan 15 4.1.2 The War in Iraq 18 4.2 Films and Its Relations to the Post 9/11 US Foreign Policy 21 Ref. code: 25595703040039RKJ (5) 4.2.1 The Hurt Locker (2008) 22 4.2.2 Green Zone (2010) 24 4.2.3 Zero Dark Thirty (2012) 26 4.2.4 Lone Survivor (2013) 29 4.2.5 American Sniper (2014) 31 4.3 Hollywood‟s Representation of US Extraterritorial Power and 33 Unfamiliar Locations 4.4 Common Narration Styles Shared in Hollywood‟s WoT Films 38 4.4.1 Ambiguity 39 4.4.2 Evoking the Sense of American Patriotism 40 4.5 Hollywood‟s Criticism on the Justification of the Use of Force 41 4.6 Alternative Productions: Documentary Films 43 CHAPTER 5 CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS 45 5.1 Conclusion 45 5.2 Recommendation 46 REFERENCES 48 BIOGRAPHY 58 Ref. code: 25595703040039RKJ (6) LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS Symbols/Abbreviations Terms CIA Central Intelligence Agency DVD Digital Versatile Disk EOD Explosive Ordnance Disposal FBI Federal Bureau of Investigation IR International Relations Lt. Lieutenant NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization NSC The United States‟ National Security Council PTSD Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder SEALs The United States Navy‟s Sea, Air and Land Teams SGT. Sergeant UN United Nations US, USA The United States of America WMDs Weapons of Mass Destructions WoT War on Terror 9/11, September 11 Series of terrorist attacks on the USA on Tuesday morning of 11th September, 2001 claiming almost 3,000 lives. Ref. code: 25595703040039RKJ 1 CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION 1.1 Significance of the Problem Undoubtedly, the United States of America (USA) has become one of major powers in the world since after the Second World War until the present day. This country has been very active and influential in the international affairs because it has got all elements of what big players have which are political, economic and cultural powers. According to Nye and Welch (2001, p. 43), the term “power” refers to “the ability to affect others to get the outcome one wants” while the difference between the exercise of power lies in the intention to obtain desired outcome whether through coercion or payment (hard power) and through attraction or persuasion (soft power). In terms of cultural power, Hollywood, the cinema of the USA, has been influencing cinema industry throughout the globe alongside with American prominence in the world. Thus, it can be a representation of soft power in the terms of cultural domination domestically and internationally. Gregg (1998, Chapter 1) stated that the subject of International Relations (IR) and the filming industry are related according to three factors: 1) movie can enhance people‟s knowledge on IR by dramatizing the abstract ideas such as nationalism, hegemony and sovereignty to become more concrete 2) it also allows people to visualize remote situations in different time and place which they cannot personally experience it in real life and 3) it can contribute to a better IR understandings by making people debate about what has film been trying to communicate or decision made by protagonists is justifiable or not. However, film is far from the best instrument in representing or broadening understandings about international affairs. The direct goal of film is merely for entertainment purpose but it has indirect capability to make viewers observe and draw conclusion upon its content. In terms of politics, there is surely a connection between politics and films that Hollywood is no exception. It has been used as a propaganda tool for the viewers Ref. code: 25595703040039RKJ 2 and often being the means for communication by government to its citizens. During time of the Second World War, Hollywood was one of the instruments to create the nationalistic, unity, and patriotic feelings among American citizens in defeating the Axis powers. These films showed that victory could only be acclaimed by the determination of both soldiers abroad and the home front. Right after the end of war, anti-Communist ideology flourished in Hollywood industry during the Cold War alongside with the actual American political ideology. The dissolvent of the Soviet Union shows victory of American democracy and capitalism making the USA becomes the sole superpower in international affairs. As the process of globalization taking place, the non-traditional security threat such as terrorism and transnational drug trafficking has emerged as a new challenge for states and international society. Hollywood too, transformed itself side by side to the trend. It has changed its enemy from fascism, Nazi and Hitler into the more up-to-date figures such as the Irish Republican Army, drug cartels, dictator leaders in the Middle East or North Africa, and the Communist characters that were always involved in some sort of evilness.
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