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Between wars and words: how international conflict shapes discourse of non-belligerent political leaders

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Listed:
  • Ana Paula Pellegrino
  • Benjamin R. Burnley
  • Laia Balcells

Abstract

Does the outbreak of a major international war change political discourse? Drawing on theories of political communication and elite cueing, identity salience, and threat perception, we hypothesize that the outbreak of a war of aggression by a major power increases the use of nationalist rhetoric by heads of government in other, non-belligerent, states. To test this hypothesis, we analyse over 10,000 tweets by heads of government from 130 countries before and after the Russian invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.

Suggested Citation

  • Ana Paula Pellegrino & Benjamin R. Burnley & Laia Balcells, 2026. "Between wars and words: how international conflict shapes discourse of non-belligerent political leaders," WIDER Working Paper Series wp-2026-2, World Institute for Development Economic Research (UNU-WIDER).
    • Handle: RePEc:unu:wpaper:wp-2026-2
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Marshall A. Taylor & Dustin S. Stoltz, 2021. "Integrating semantic directions with concept mover’s distance to measure binary concept engagement," Journal of Computational Social Science, Springer, vol. 4(1), pages 231-242, May.
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