Global Lies?: Propaganda, the UN and World Order

by M. Alleyne

Overview

Mark D. Alleyne analyzes the key role of the UN's public information department in the organization's pursuit of its objectives. The prominence of concepts such as human rights and national self-determination in the international arena is due to the activity of this UN department. Alleyne explores the UN's use of propaganda to shape the agenda of international relations.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780333920046
Publisher:	Palgrave Macmillan UK
Publication date:	07/25/2003
Edition description:	2003
Pages:	262
Product dimensions:	5.51(w) x 8.50(h) x 0.03(d)

About the Author

MARK D. ALLEYNE is Assistant Director in-charge of research at the Ralph J. Bunche Center for African-American Studies, UCLA. He has taught at a number of universities, including The University of Illinois and the American University, Washington DC. Previous publications include International Power and International Communication and News Revolution.

Table of Contents

Introduction Propaganda for Peace? Global Information Machine Polishing the Tarnished Image Good Propaganda, Bad Propaganda Lubricating the Wheels Using the Tool UN Ideological Work and International Change Appendices Bibliography

Editorial Reviews

Former UN ambassador Richard Holbrooke has called the UN "the flawed but indispensable institution." These two books illustrate what he meant. NPR correspondent Fasulo has written an overview for lay readers of the myriad activities under the UN umbrella. Most of her attention is given to topics that appear in the news frequently, such as the Security Council, General Assembly, and peacekeeping operations. Shorter chapters cover social and economic development, environmental programs, weapons of mass destruction, globalization, and drug traffic. In trying to cover many agencies, she has made the entries too brief to provide an accurate impression of all that the UN does in these areas. Anyone who has ever sent or received mail from abroad, bought an imported product, or flown in a commercial airliner has benefited from one or more UN agencies. Her intended readers are those totally unfamiliar with the UN, and they will likely find the book informative. But they will also need to consult John Alphin Moore Jr.'s and Jerry Pubantz's Encyclopedia of the United Nations. Alleyne (UCLA) has written a detailed analysis of one of the UN's functions, its Department of Public Information. In his earlier News Revolution, he discussed the importance of the media and public diplomacy in international affairs; here he focuses on the UN's public diplomacy efforts. Barred from propaganda activities and needing to maintain good relations with all member states, the department has necessarily avoided controversial topics. Descriptions of the agency and its programs are tediously bureaucratic in many places, the analytical discussions could have been more fully developed, and the framework used here is not in the mainstream of international relations analysis. However, recent events have led to increased discussion of public diplomacy, which makes this a useful work for collections specializing in media studies or international relations.-Marcia L. Sprules, Council on Foreign Relations Lib., New York Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.

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