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Rhetoric in hostile diplomatic situations: A case study of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's rhetoric during his 2007 US visit

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Abstract

This paper examines heads-of-state visits as a form of public diplomacy, using Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's September 2007 visit to the United States as illustrative of such efforts in a hostile diplomatic situation. We analyse three communicative events — the forum at Columbia University, his interview with the National Press Club, and UN General Assembly address — treating his discourse as constitutive of a rhetorical act. Using and extending Mor's (2007) self-presentation framework, our analysis reveals that, when confronted with a competitive and exigent rhetorical situation, Ahmadinejad employed a range of strategies (blame avoidance, blame imposition, credit gain) and concomitant tactics to defend himself, his actions, and his policies. Implications of this case study for international relations and public diplomacy efforts are discussed.

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Notes

  1. For a complete transcript, see http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/24/AR2007092401042.html.

  2. For a complete transcript, see http://www.globalsecurity.org/wmd/library/news/iran/2007/iran-070926-irna01.htm.

  3. For a complete transcript, see http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/09/24/AR2007092401084.html.

  4. We acknowledge Benoit's contribution to image restoration research; however, we have chosen Mor's (2007) self-presentation as the framework of choice. We believe that the latter framework is more comprehensive for its reference to both rhetor and opponent and the emphasis on competitive self-presentation and image enhancement, which provide a more nuanced description of rhetorical strategies. Also, while we draw upon Mor's taxonomy, it is his conceptual argument that is important and fitting for our case study. That we are not limited by Mor's taxonomy is reflected in the fact that we have found evidence of two new strategies (not present in Mor's framework) that have been referenced by other scholars (including Benoit) and we include them in our results.

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Acknowledgements

The authors thank the editor and anonymous reviewers for their helpful suggestions and comments on the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Communication, Purdue University, West Lafayette, 47906, IN, USA

    Vidhi Chaudhri

Authors
  1. Vidhi Chaudhri
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  2. Jeremy P Fyke
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Correspondence to Vidhi Chaudhri.

Additional information

1has obtained her MA from Purdue University and is a doctoral student in the Department of Communication, Purdue University. Her research interests include corporate social responsibility (CSR), global communication, and organizational rhetoric. She has published in the Management Communication Quarterly and Journal of Corporate Citizenship. Before joining Purdue, she worked with a public relations consultancy in India.

2has obtained his MA from Texas State University, San Marcos and is a doctoral student in the Department of Communication, Purdue University. His research interests include organizational communication, specifically organizational leadership and rhetoric. He has published in The International Journal of Pharmaceutical Compounding and Indiana Pharmacist.

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Chaudhri, V., Fyke, J. Rhetoric in hostile diplomatic situations: A case study of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's rhetoric during his 2007 US visit. Place Brand Public Dipl 4, 317–330 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1057/pb.2008.20

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1057/pb.2008.20

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