What does this research mean for the field?

The prominent public authority of academic military experts in Germany's 'Zeitenwende' emerges from strategic-cultural shock and institutional weakness, and is maintained through repertoires of translating, scenario building, warning, and strategic framing that generate frictions with media logics and political positioning. Novelty: ClaimNovelty.NOVEL_FINDING. Consensus alignment: ConsensusAlignment.ESTABLISHES_NEW_DIRECTION.

What question did this study set out to answer?

To examine how academic military expertise emerged as a key social figure of Germany's Zeitenwende and analyze the mechanisms through which military experts establish public authority amid geopolitical uncertainty.

September 3, 2026SIRIUS - Zeitschrift für Strategische Analysen

Krieg lesbar machen: Akademische Militärexpertise, öffentliche Autorität und Unsicherheit in der „Zeitenwende“

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SMStefan Messingschlager

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Overview

Qualitative discourse analysis reveals how academic military expertise gained public authority in German media post-2022, highlighting frictions between media demands and analytical uncertainty.

Key Points

To examine how academic military expertise emerged as a key social figure of Germany's Zeitenwende and analyze the mechanisms through which military experts establish public authority amid geopolitical uncertainty.
Conducted a sociology-of-knowledge discourse analysis of a German media corpus spanning 2022 to 2025.
Analyzed academic appearances across television talk shows, journalistic interviews, podcasts, and programmatic policy texts.
Expert visibility emerged from a national strategic-cultural shock, weak pre-existing security institutions, and elevated public demand for orientation following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Identified four distinct discursive repertoires that establish public authority: technical translation, scenario building, strategic warning, and political framing.
Demonstrated persistent structural frictions between the inherent unpredictability of war, the journalistic pressure to provide forecasts, and partisan political alignment.

Cite This Study

Stefan Messingschlager (2026) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6a993653636c6408cfa7f699 https://doi.org/10.1515/sirius-2026-3010

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September 3, 2026SIRIUS - Zeitschrift für Strategische Analysen

Krieg lesbar machen: Akademische Militärexpertise, öffentliche Autorität und Unsicherheit in der „Zeitenwende“

View Full Paper

Ask AI

Bookmark

Authors

SMStefan Messingschlager

Discussion

Member takes

Overview

Qualitative discourse analysis reveals how academic military expertise gained public authority in German media post-2022, highlighting frictions between media demands and analytical uncertainty.

Key Points

To examine how academic military expertise emerged as a key social figure of Germany's Zeitenwende and analyze the mechanisms through which military experts establish public authority amid geopolitical uncertainty.
Conducted a sociology-of-knowledge discourse analysis of a German media corpus spanning 2022 to 2025.
Analyzed academic appearances across television talk shows, journalistic interviews, podcasts, and programmatic policy texts.
Expert visibility emerged from a national strategic-cultural shock, weak pre-existing security institutions, and elevated public demand for orientation following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Identified four distinct discursive repertoires that establish public authority: technical translation, scenario building, strategic warning, and political framing.
Demonstrated persistent structural frictions between the inherent unpredictability of war, the journalistic pressure to provide forecasts, and partisan political alignment.

Cite This Study

Stefan Messingschlager (2026) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6a993653636c6408cfa7f699 https://doi.org/10.1515/sirius-2026-3010

View Full Paper

Ask AI

Bookmark