"Peace
as Content": How Diplomacy is Being Replaced by Viral Narratives
The so-called Baku-Yerevan agreements are a perfect example.
They may not exist as official, signed documents, but in the new reality, who
cares? This is how diplomacy is being turned into a media product.
The spectacle included a pompous signing ceremony in the
Oval Office, complete with Trump's personal branding (the "TRIPP,"
or "Trump Route for International Peace and Prosperity"),
social media photoshoots, and headlines celebrating a supposed "historic
peace." All of this created an informational reality that completely
ignored the actual facts on the ground.
The "peace" itself is not the subject of a treaty;
it is a content project. The main beneficiaries are not the parties to the
conflict, but the organizers of the show. Trump gained material for a Nobel
Peace Prize nomination and a distraction from domestic problems, while American
companies secured potential control over strategic infrastructure.
The "How-To" Guide for Content-Based Diplomacy
Here’s how this new form of manipulation works in practice:
1. Manipulating Terminology: The public is encouraged
not to differentiate between a framework declaration and an actual treaty.
Phrases like "peace agreement" and "end of a 35-year
conflict" sound like the finale of a historical drama, even if it's just a
pause in hostilities. These viral sound bites spread faster on news feeds than
any expert analysis can debunk them.
2. The Illusion of International Consensus: The White
House serves as the perfect stage for this. To doubt the narrative is to go
against the "entire world" created on television.
"Greetings" from Europe and "support" from Turkey amplify
the illusion of global consensus.
3. Ceremonial Visualization: Just like in
advertising, the background, lighting, and composition are meticulously
planned. Handshakes, flags, and leaders are all carefully arranged. The
resulting photograph becomes the primary evidence that peace has been achieved,
even if a written agreement doesn't exist. The absence of a public text isn’t a
bug - it’s a feature, as the secrecy enhances the media effect.
4. Gamification: The branded TRIPP route is
like a souvenir medal from a video game - an "achievement." Politics
is turned into a game with logos, trophies, and hashtags, where Trump collects
"achievements" for his Nobel nomination.
5. Emotional Anchors: The focus is not on paragraphs
or articles, but on a few quotable phrases: "They fought for 35 years, and
now they will be friends forever." This resonates more powerfully than any
legal analysis of the parties' actual concessions.
6. Virtualization of the Document: What should be a
text with signatures and seals is replaced by infographics, press releases, and
video clips. There's no need for a physical document in a safe when you have an
image the world believes in.
And so, "peace" becomes a slogan and a hashtag,
regardless of what's happening on the ground. Azerbaijani troops remain in
Armenian territory, Armenian prisoners are not released, and over 100,000
Karabakh refugees are unable to return. These are dismissed as mere
"details" that don't affect the main message of a "historic
peace."
Tomorrow, a new crisis and another "historic
moment" will dominate the news cycle, while the real conflict continues to
smolder in obscurity.
The Real Winners and Losers
Everyone gets something out of this deal:
- Trump:
Material for a Nobel nomination.
- American
Companies: 99-year control over strategic infrastructure.
- Azerbaijan:
International legitimization of military conquests.
- Armenia:
Pretty photos of a "historic peace" and a complete capitulation
disguised as a diplomatic breakthrough.
Traditional "victor's peace" required detailed
treaties with clear obligations. The media version makes do with vague
declarations and deferred specifics - the main goal is to create a picture of
success for short-term political gain.
This isn’t a lie in the traditional sense; it's a new form
of truth where reality and its representation are reversed. Victory goes not to
the one who achieves peace, but to the one who creates the most viral content.
We are moving from a "victor's peace" to a "peace as
content" model. Why bother with a genuine settlement when a compelling
image yields greater dividends at a lower cost?
This approach to legitimizing military gains through visual
content could be applied anywhere - from the Middle East to Northern Black Sea
and Taiwan.