Foreign policy discourse by Barack Obama’s administration within the modern perception of the American society of political developments in Ukraine

Olga Vasylchenko, Ph.D. Student, Institute of International Relations Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Kyiv, Ukraine.

Abstract

In the article a characteristic was given to rhetoric of Barack Obama’s administration on political events in Ukraine in 2014-2016, basing on the research of peculiarities of social perception formation, as well as of key features of the human mind. Within the framework of the research it was also illustrated how the Ukraine’s factor in Barack Obama’s foreign policy discourse is used, inter alia, as a means of strengthening the fundamental principles of the US policy on the world stage, as well as of promoting coordination and relations with the European partners, and especially – the NATO allies. All of the above was made possible after analysis of peculiarities of political nature of verbal acts, including that of top state leadership, which is aimed at updating certain psychological connotations of individual and group perceptions.

Regarding the above, the power of influence of Barack Obama’s administration foreign policy discourse on shaping a picture of American society’s perception of political events in Ukraine for the indicated period was estimated. The latter, according to the author, significantly activates a set of meanings and feelings that are inherent in the current model of thought of Americans, thus confirming the role of metaphorical impact on managing relationships between actors within the global arena.

Keywords
USA, Ukraine, Barack Obama, social perception, foreign policy discourse

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DOI http://doi.org/10.17721/2521-1706.2016.01.11-18