A Note on Lukacic

Abstract

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Mapping the Dynamism of the United States' Geopolitical Code: The Geography of the State of the Union Speeches, 1988–2008

“…To ensure accuracy and consistency the project began by coding speeches analysed and discussed in detail by O'Loughlin and Grant. 26 When the two researchers responsible for coding gained the same results as O'Loughlin and Grant and each other the initial coding of the 1988 speeches began. Three speeches were chosen at random and the researchers coded them individually.…”

“…We began with the State of the Union speech of 1988 for two reasons: It provides a continuation from the O'Loughlin and Grant study that concluded with 1987, and it provides a benchmark year of a presidency firmly attached to the Cold War geopolitical code before the subsequent years of dynamism that we focus upon. 24 The texts of the speeches were downloaded from the website of The American Presidency project housed at University of California Santa Barbara between August 2007 and March 2008. 25 The texts were coded for word content.…”

“…The coverage is the most global in this analysis, and is matched only by the epic coverage of President Carter. 33 The rhetoric and practice of the Global War on Terror was evident in the perceived need to mention all continents and numerous countries between 2005 and 2008; a reflection of perceived dangers (from insurgents in Iraq to anti-democracy movements in the former Soviet Union), the need to address the geopolitical actions of other countries (such as Russia, China, and North Korea), and the related need to justify the US's actions and plans to the public. Not surprisingly, President George W. Bush's speeches are four of five with the highest ratio of foreign policy words to total words in the period of study.…”