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Chapter 16. Red lines and rash decisions

Syria, metaphor and narrative
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Abstract

Obama’s “red lines” metaphor nearly triggered a military intervention in Syria in the summer of 2013. This chapter questions the work that metaphor does in shaping understandings and conduct in international affairs. The term is used by political leaders to express likely behavioural consequences to international rivals and allies and to domestic publics. We explore what difference in diplomatic practice it makes to speak of a line, and a red one, as well as how such metaphors trigger or sustain narratives, and how narratives interact with metaphors. In the context of conflict in Syria we examine the trajectory and remediation of the red lines metaphor, taking as an empirical nexus a series of officials’ speeches in September 2013 by Kerry, Power, Lavrov and other political leaders. We find that the red line initially trapped Obama, leading to rhetorical shifts, before a trajectory shift from the red line to the path forward in mid-September as the US and Russia reach a deal to eliminate the Assad regime’s chemical weapons. The study brings together approaches from International Relations and Cognitive Linguistics to open up theoretical reflection on the function of metaphor and narrative in steering sense-making in diplomatic practice. The political significance of the analysis is to bring into question what alternative metaphors Obama could have used in the first place.

Abstract

Obama’s “red lines” metaphor nearly triggered a military intervention in Syria in the summer of 2013. This chapter questions the work that metaphor does in shaping understandings and conduct in international affairs. The term is used by political leaders to express likely behavioural consequences to international rivals and allies and to domestic publics. We explore what difference in diplomatic practice it makes to speak of a line, and a red one, as well as how such metaphors trigger or sustain narratives, and how narratives interact with metaphors. In the context of conflict in Syria we examine the trajectory and remediation of the red lines metaphor, taking as an empirical nexus a series of officials’ speeches in September 2013 by Kerry, Power, Lavrov and other political leaders. We find that the red line initially trapped Obama, leading to rhetorical shifts, before a trajectory shift from the red line to the path forward in mid-September as the US and Russia reach a deal to eliminate the Assad regime’s chemical weapons. The study brings together approaches from International Relations and Cognitive Linguistics to open up theoretical reflection on the function of metaphor and narrative in steering sense-making in diplomatic practice. The political significance of the analysis is to bring into question what alternative metaphors Obama could have used in the first place.

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. Chapter 1. Introduction 1
  4. Part I. Multidisciplinary approaches to political discourse
  5. Chapter 2. “We have the character of an island nation” 27
  6. Chapter 3. “Dancing with doxa” 59
  7. Part II. Representing the people, representing the government
  8. Chapter 4. Charting the semantics of labour relations in House of Commons debates spanning two hundred years 81
  9. Chapter 5. Off the record 105
  10. Chapter 6. Making “politics” relevant 127
  11. Part III. Doing populism
  12. Chapter 7. A cross-linguistic study of new populist language 153
  13. Chapter 8. Disciplining the unwilling 179
  14. Part IV. Mediated politics
  15. Chapter 9. Es-tu Charlie? 211
  16. Chapter 10. United we diverge 235
  17. Chapter 11. Hybridity and antagonism in broadcast election campaign interviews 259
  18. Chapter 12. Mediated campaign debate subgenre and their importance for analytic considerations 281
  19. Chapter 13. Cross-talk in political discourse 301
  20. Part V. Self-referential political discourse
  21. Chapter 14. Reading political minds 333
  22. Chapter 15. “All this is a boon to Britain’s crumbling democracy” 361
  23. Part VI. Doing foreign policy
  24. Chapter 16. Red lines and rash decisions 385
  25. Notes on contributors 407
  26. Index 413
Doing Politics
This chapter is in the book Doing Politics
https://doi.org/10.1075/dapsac.80.16fer

Chapters in this book

  1. Prelim pages i
  2. Table of contents v
  3. Chapter 1. Introduction 1
  4. Part I. Multidisciplinary approaches to political discourse
  5. Chapter 2. “We have the character of an island nation” 27
  6. Chapter 3. “Dancing with doxa” 59
  7. Part II. Representing the people, representing the government
  8. Chapter 4. Charting the semantics of labour relations in House of Commons debates spanning two hundred years 81
  9. Chapter 5. Off the record 105
  10. Chapter 6. Making “politics” relevant 127
  11. Part III. Doing populism
  12. Chapter 7. A cross-linguistic study of new populist language 153
  13. Chapter 8. Disciplining the unwilling 179
  14. Part IV. Mediated politics
  15. Chapter 9. Es-tu Charlie? 211
  16. Chapter 10. United we diverge 235
  17. Chapter 11. Hybridity and antagonism in broadcast election campaign interviews 259
  18. Chapter 12. Mediated campaign debate subgenre and their importance for analytic considerations 281
  19. Chapter 13. Cross-talk in political discourse 301
  20. Part V. Self-referential political discourse
  21. Chapter 14. Reading political minds 333
  22. Chapter 15. “All this is a boon to Britain’s crumbling democracy” 361
  23. Part VI. Doing foreign policy
  24. Chapter 16. Red lines and rash decisions 385
  25. Notes on contributors 407
  26. Index 413
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