Using international relations theories to understand disinformation. Soft Power, narrative turns, and new wars

This chapter aims to describe how long-standing trends in analyzing international phenomena have anticipated contemporary discussions on disinformation. We consider the competitive manipulation of the information space through actions designed to reshape reality to attain political goals. Disinformation represents a collection of medial texts, whereby international political actors promote “intentional falsehoods spread as news stories or simulated documentary formats to advance political goals” (Bennett and Livingston 2018, p. 124). Therefore, disinformation refers to the strategic dynamics concerning the communicative environment, while the catch all formula “fake news” identifies isolated episodes of fabrications and deception (Bennett and Livingston 2018). The approaches chosen do not claim to be exhaustive, but rather explain the complex relationship between international politics and media phenomena. Traditionally, although we are in an era in which the mass dimension of communication implies reflection on the public effects of representations, international relations (IR) has looked on with suspicion at immaterial components related to the supranational political arena.