Ivan Podria
(Kamianets-Podilskyi Ivan Ohienko National University)
Scientific supervisor: H.A. Kryshtaliuk, PhD
IMAGE OF THE USA IN ENGLISH NEWSPAPER DISCOURSE OF RUSSIAN-UKRAINIAN WAR
We find a huge number of modern studies dedicated to the study of the Russian-Ukrainian conflict or the Russian-Ukrainian war [1; 2; 3]. We consider the topic chosen by us to be relevant, given that most works focus on the image of Russia in Ukrainian [3] and American [1] discourse, in some places the image of Ukraine [2] is highlighted. The purpose of our intelligence is to identify the peculiarities of the representation of the USA in the English-language discourse of the Russian-Ukrainian war. The American newspaper The Washington Post, the British newspaper The Telegraph, and the website “Voice of America” were chosen as the research material.
The main trends determining the discursive representation of the USA in the analyzed English-language information resources are as follows: American involvement; ambiguity of political parties before the event; Cold War rhetoric; criticism of American foreign policy; conspiracy theories.
In the discourse of The Washington Post analyzed by us, the involvement of the USA in the Russian-Ukrainian war is constructed, mainly in the aspect of supplying weapons. However, threats to US national security are also represented as a consequence of such involvement.
In the section War in Ukraine, Europe, the USA is represented as a powerful supplier of decisive weapons:
Headline: U.S.-supplied HIMARS changing the calculus on Ukraine’s front lines [The WP, 01.07.2022].
The M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System, commonly known as HIMARS, is one of four that Ukrainians received last month from the United States as part of a $700 million military aid package.
The HIMARS is the most advanced U.S.-provided system and has the longest range of Ukraine’s ground weapons, nearly 50 miles, enabling its forces to precisely strike Russian military targets without endangering its own civilians in occupied territories. Ukraine had been asking for the weapons for about two months before the transfer was approved — after Ukraine assured the Biden administration that it will not use them to launch cross-border attacks into Russia [The WP, 01.07.2022].
The above headline and fragments of text represent the weapon supplied by the United States (U.S.-supplied HIMARS) and long awaited by Ukraine. The decisive role of the weapon is indicated by the removal of the units that mark it and the source of its supply to the starting positions. The Biden administration acts as one that needs convincing (Ukraine assured the Biden administration).
In the heading War in Ukraine, National security, threats to the production capacity of the United States as a result of involvement in the Russian-Ukrainian war are constructed:
Headline: In race to arm Ukraine, U.S. faces cracks in its manufacturing might [The WP, 9.03.2023]
Earlier research done by the Washington think tank illustrates a more pervasive problem: The slow pace of U.S. production means it would take as long as 15 years at peacetime production levels, and more than eight years at a wartime tempo, to replace the stocks of major weapons systems such as guided missiles, piloted aircraft and armed drones if they were destroyed in battle or donated to allies.
The given title and fragment of the text indicate the problem of timely production of weapons in the country, as well as ensuring one’s own needs for weapons.
Thus, the discourse of The Washington Post offers a contradictory, contrasting representation of the US as a crucial supplier of arms for Ukraine’s needs and a slow producer of arms for diverse needs.
References
- Tang, N. The Image of Russia in the Russian-Ukrainian War from the Perspective of American Media: A Corpus-Based Critical Discourse Analysis. Open Access Library Journal. 2023. No. 10. https://doi.org/10.4236/oalib.1109742
- Tkachenko, O. H., Sydorenko, O. P., Melnikova, I. O., Myronets, N. R., & Smus, A. H. The media image of Ukraine: An European view. Linguistics and Culture Review. 2021. Vol. 5, No, 4. P. 203-217. https://doi.org/10.37028/lingcure.v5nS4.1574
- Terzyan A. The enemy next door: The image of Russia in Georgian and Ukrainian political discourses amid conflicts escalation. Open Political Science. 2021. No. 4. P. 194-203. https://doi.org/10.1515/openps-2021-0018
- The Washington Post. URL: https://washingtonpost.com