Critical Geopolitics, Framing and Second-Order Observation

Cardiel, Jorge

The field of geopolitical descriptions operates on at least three distinct levels: “practical state reasonings,” “popular geopolitics,” and “formal or academic geopolitics” (Dodds, 2019). Geopolitics can also be categorized as either “traditional” or “critical” (Dodds, 2005). Traditional geopolitics encompasses categories such as national sovereignty, statecraft, fixed borders, deterrence, cold war, and cartographies. Critical geopolitics includes interdependent networks, deterritorialization, polycrisis, disruptions, cyberspace, hybrid warfare, information systems, de-risking, friendshoring, soft power, and structural power, among many others.

Frame analysis (Goffman, 1974), as a pivotal sociological concept and methodology, is particularly effective for advancing critical geopolitics. It utilizes dialectical reasoning, reflexivity, and second-order observation to reinterpret social geopolitical narratives. The framing of international and global issues directly influences decision-making, potential solutions, and recognized responsibilities. Geopolitical descriptions shape the state of the world, continually oscillating between first-order and second-order observations. This is especially true for the mass media (Luhmann, 2000), which presents framed information that aligns with specific forms of practical state reasonings and popular representations.

Currently, we are witnessing a shift from the Cold War era’s “mutual assured destruction” to a contemporary context of “mutual assured disruptions” and “mutual assured dependence” (Wade, 2023). This paper reflects on the second-order observation of framing strategies in mass media and explores how this analysis can contribute to understanding a world characterized by mutual dependence and potential mutual disruption.

Dodds, K. (2005). Global geopolitics: A critical introduction. Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group.

Dodds, K. (2019). Geopolitics: A very short introduction (Third edition). Oxford University Press.

Goffman, E. (1974). Frame analysis: an essay on the organization of experience. Harper & Row.

Luhmann, N. (2000). The reality of the mass media. Stanford University Press.

Wade, R. H. (2023). Conflict Between Great Powers Is Back with Vengeance. In: The Political Economy of Emerging Markets and Alternative Development Paths. Springer.