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VOL. 8, ISSUE 2 (2026)
The geopolitics of narratives: Strategic communication as an instrument of statecraft in the digital century
Authors
Müzaffer Dinçay Tevfikür Rahman
Abstract
In the contemporary international system, the traditional parameters of statecraft are undergoing a profound transformation driven by the digitization of the global information ecosystem and the emergence of cognitive warfare as an operational domain of strategic competition. This study introduces Narrative Geopolitics Theory (NGT) to analyze how nation-states systematically deploy strategic communication as an instrument of power projection, legitimacy generation, and strategic deterrence. Moving beyond conventional conceptualizations of public diplomacy and soft power, the paper establishes an integrated ontological framework that positions narratives as structural, constitutive forces capable of constructing, sustaining, and dismantling international power distributions. The paper introduces five groundbreaking conceptual architectures: the Strategic Narrative Power Framework (SNPF), the Digital Statecraft Influence Model (DSIM), the Cognitive-Narrative Competition Model (CNCM), the Geopolitical Narrative Ecosystem Framework (GNEF), and the quantitative Narrative Capital Index (NCI). Through an exhaustive comparative analysis of the strategic communication doctrines of the United States, China, Russia, the European Union, Türkiye, and India—supplemented by empirical evaluations of the Russia–Ukraine War, the China–Taiwan information competition, and the Israel–Hamas information environment—this study reveals the operational mechanisms through which algorithmic amplification, synthetic media, and artificial intelligence are reshaping global public consciousness. The paper further develops an analytical taxonomy of hybrid information threat vectors and provides a structured forward-projection of information statecraft trajectories through 2035 and 2050. Ultimately, this article offers a field-defining analytical model alongside concrete policy pathways enabling democratic societies to cultivate structural narrative resilience within an increasingly contested, multi-conceptual global information order.
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Pages:93-111
How to cite this article:
Müzaffer Dinçay Tevfikür Rahman "The geopolitics of narratives: Strategic communication as an instrument of statecraft in the digital century". International Journal of Sociology and Political Science, Vol 8, Issue 2, 2026, Pages 93-111
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