Words Matter: Unpacking the Double Standard of Discourse in Global Politics

Presented as neutral, discourse in global politics reflects complex power dynamics on the international chessboard. Rhetoric in international politics conveys value judgements and stereotypes according to double standard of discourse at work between Western powers and the rest of the word. Through the theoretical framework made up of Ruth Wodak’s discourse-historical approach and Teun Van Dijk’s socio-cognitive approach, and a beyond text-based method of critical discourse analysis, especially the concept-based analysis, the paper aims to demonstrate the existence of a double standard of discourse, its influence on the perception and on the course of international politics. So, after the conceptual framework, the paper analyses terms revealing the double standard of discourse. Finally, it deals with the expansion process of this kind of discourse before focusing on its multifaceted consequences.