Communication and Conflict: Studies in International Relations

Communication and Conflict is a collection of Professor Becker’s 21 essays since the late 1970s, referring exclusively to the field of international politics, and specifically to cultural, media and technology policy. Becker deliberately takes a very broad approach to these topics. The range extends from a discussion of racism in European books for children and young people, to a study of the publishing community in developing countries, and goes so far as the role of the mass media in war and peace. The essays address also subjects such as the influence of multinational paper and cellulose manufacturers on paper pricing in the developing countries, unequal access to databases and the Internet, or even a discussion of the media development in East Europe post-1989 or the role of international law in international media policy. All the essays highlight the tension innate in all forms of media policy, namely that between culture and economics. Fortunately, the author elects not to resolve this tension, preferring to acknowledge it as a dialectical process.