Narratives and Power in Digital Media Coverage of the US Troop’s Withdrawal from Afghanistan

This study examined the digital media coverage of the U.S. troop withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021, focusing on how narratives within China Daily constructed and communicated power. This critical juncture in international relations provided a unique opportunity to analyze media narratives that shaped public perception and policy discourse, particularly through the lens of China Daily, a significant voice in Chinese and global media. The objective was to dissect how China Daily’s reporting reflected and influenced geopolitical narratives, utilizing Teun van Dijk’s framework for news discourse analysis. This involved a detailed examination of the discourse strategies and ideological constructs in the coverage of the troop withdrawal. By analyzing 192 articles from China Daily published between April and September 2021, the study explored the construction of narratives and their underlying ideologies. Findings indicated that China Daily strategically framed the U.S. withdrawal in terms of regional instability and terrorism risks, emphasizing the consequences of what it portrayed as a hasty and irresponsible U.S. action. This narrative strategy was aligned with broader Chinese political stances on non-interference and respect for national sovereignty. This research contributed to the field by highlighting the role of media in shaping international perceptions and added a non-Western perspective to discourse studies on global military engagements.