EHAB MOHAMED JABER ISMAEL

Baku State University, Faculty of Journalism,

Department of International Journalism and Information Policy,

ORCID ID: 0009-0002-3089-5530

[email protected]

 

HOW MEDIA INFLUENCES FOREIGN POLICY DECISIONS

IN GLOBAL POWER STRUGGLES

 

DOI: https://doi.org/10.36719/2708-065X/111/173-177

 

Media significantly shapes foreign policy by influencing how states interpret political events and international crises. During the Arab Spring, Western coverage framed the uprisings as democratic movements, encouraging foreign governments to support opposition groups in Egypt, Libya, and Syria. In the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Western media largely emphasizes Russian aggression, while Russian outlets highlight NATO expansion as the primary threat, creating two competing geopolitical narra­tives that guide diplomatic and military decisions. The 2016 U.S. election demonstrated the strategic use of digital media, where Russian-linked actors employed fake accounts, bots, and targeted disinfor­mation to polarize voters and influence political outcomes. Across these cases, media functions as an active instrument that shapes public opinion, legitimizes state actions, and impacts international de­cision-making.

Keywords: Strategic Narratives; Foreign Policy; Media Influence; Soft Power; Geopolitical Communication; Disinformation; Propaganda; Cyber Warfare.