The Discourse of the New World Order

Book excerpt: Much has been written about the events of 9/11 and its aftermath as constituting a rupture in US and world history. This book, however, proposes that while the attacks on US homeland were unprecedented, the ensuing discourse of President G.W. Bush and his ¿war on terror¿ campaign cannot be said to constitute a radical departure. The book aims to show that President Bush¿s statements and actions since 9/11 belong within a broader unfolding discourse of the ¿New World Order', which has been underway since the end of the Cold War. To make their case, Lazar and Lazar adapt and develop Foucault¿s notion of ¿discourse formation¿ for a critical discourse analysis of almost two decades of post-Cold War presidential texts and talk, including speeches, press conferences, radio addresses, policy documents, and interviews. This book is the first to be jointly written by a linguist and a political scientist, allowing for the marriage of theoretical and analytical insights from international relations, international security studies, strategic studies, political discourse analysis and critical discourse studies.