The Reaction of Wag The Dog

Wag the Dog, inspired by Larry Beinhart’s book “American Hero”, is one of the most important films to understand and interpret the term Constructivism. The movie starts with a sexual harassment allegation against the president just before the presidential elections in the US. Following this allegation of sexual harassment, the campaign team, the advertising expert and other interested people convene an emergency meeting in order not to be affected by this crisis in the election, and events begin to take a completely different course. The film shows the manipulation of public opinion, the control of the media and its power to shape political reality. The film challenges the concept of objective reality by depicting the construction of a fictional war to distract the public from a presidential scandal. Overall, from a constructivist perspective, “Wag the Dog” can be understood as a critique of the constructed nature of political reality, the power of media manipulation and the ways in which actors shape and construct each other’s actions and perceptions. It reveals the role of shared beliefs, narratives and social practices in shaping political behavior and the potential for change unleashed through collective learning and shifts in social norms.

First of all, to give a brief synopsis of the movie; the US president is on a trip to China and two weeks before the elections, when he is accused of sexual harassment by a firefly girl. Following this accusation, White House advisors hold an emergency meeting and begin to strategize. Conrad Bean, one of the White House advisors, pays attention to the presentation of the news, which he considers more important than its accuracy, and starts a fictionalized war. A Hollywood producer is hired and the team is prepared with all the details such as music and script in mind. After all the details are prepared, a situation emerges in which a real war environment is created with fabricated war footage. This story was enough to cover up the accusations of harassment. In other words, the movie clearly shows the connection between the government, which changes the course of the agenda with a fictional war scenario, and the media, and is based on the idea that the media is shaped by power.

The basic arguments of constructivism can be found in the movie. The first of these is the mutual construction of actors and structures. In other words, in shaping and constructing the actions of political actors and the media, the spinmeisters and the Hollywood producer are shown to work together to manipulate public opinion and create a fictional war, and political reality is shaped through interaction. The other main argument of structuralism is the portrayal of anarchy as an imaginary community. In the movie, a fictional war is constructed to keep the public away from a presidential scandal and distract from objective reality. An imaginary war is created for political purposes and people are manipulated. Another important structuralist argument is that interests are constructed, not given from above. It is seen that this discourse comes to life in the movie. The spin doctors in the movie create a crisis and they create a crisis that suits their political interests. They construct a narrative that is compatible with their goals, they get the support of the Hollywood producer, and they make it look like a fictional war. They manipulate the media to shape public perception and gain support. This reflects the constructivist argument that interests are socially constructed and influenced by actors’ interpretations.

The film highlights the power of media manipulation and strategic communication in shaping public opinion and political outcomes. It shows how characters use social practices such as creating news stories, producing evidence and staging events to exert control and influence over public perceptions and beliefs. The power of social practices is another one of the arguments of structuralism. Overall, “Wag the Dog” can be understood through the lens of constructivism as a critique of the constructed nature of political reality, the power of media manipulation and the ways in which actors shape and construct each other’s actions and perceptions.

The empirical contributions of constructivism can be traced in the movie Wag The Dog. In the movie, characters manipulate and construct norms of patriotism and national unity. They create a crisis and rally the public behind a fictional war, thus shaping norms about how citizens should respond to national security threats. Identity plays an important role in constructivist analysis, as individuals and groups define themselves in relation to others. In “Wag the Dog”, the characters strategically construct national identity by creating a common enemy and promoting a collective sense of identity around the war effort. This manipulation of identity helps to shape public opinion and consolidate support. Constructivism challenges traditional understandings of sovereignty as a fixed and immutable concept. In the film, the manipulation of public opinion and the construction of a fictional war show that sovereignty is not only based on territorial control, but can also be influenced by discursive power and the ability to shape both domestic and international perceptions. Constructivism acknowledges the role of institutions in shaping actors’ behavior and interactions. In “Wag the Dog”, characters exploit and manipulate various institutions, including the media, state institutions and political structures, to construct a narrative that serves their interests. Epistemic communities are groups of individuals who share common beliefs, knowledge and expertise on a particular topic. In the movie, the collaboration between the spin doctor, the Hollywood producer and other members of the fictional crisis management team can be seen as an example of an epistemic community. These empirical contributions of constructivism help to shed light on the dynamics of power, perception and social construction depicted in “Wag the Dog”.

The constructivism of Alexander Wendt, a leading scholar associated with constructivist theory in international relations, can be applied to the movie Wag The Dog. Firstly, Wendt argues that ideas and beliefs are important in shaping actors’ behavior in international relations. In the movie, characters manipulate public opinion by creating a fictional war and constructing a narrative that suits their interests. This demonstrates the power of ideas to influence people’s perceptions and actions. Wendt emphasizes the importance of norms in shaping social behavior. In “Wag the Dog”, the characters construct and manipulate norms about patriotism, national unity and the perception of national security threats. Wendt’s constructivism also emphasizes the role of identity in shaping actors’ behavior. In the film, characters manipulate the public’s sense of national identity and rally support around the fictional war. Wendt argues that social interactions shape shared meanings and understandings that guide actors’ behavior. In “Wag the Dog”, interactions between characters, including the spin doctor, the Hollywood producer and government officials, shape the construction of a fictional crisis and the subsequent responses of various actors. These interactions contribute to the creation of intersubjective meanings that influence behavior. Wendt’s constructivism challenges traditional understandings of power in international relations. He argues that power is not only material or coercive, but can also be discursive and ideational. In the film, characters exercise power by constructing and controlling the narrative surrounding the war. By applying Wendt’s constructivism to “Wag the Dog”, it is possible to see how the film demonstrates the importance of ideas, norms, identity, interactions and power in shaping political behavior and international relations.