Persuasion and Power

The Art of Strategic Communication

By: James P. Farwell

Narrated by: Tim Lundeen

Now more than ever, in the arenas of national security, diplomacy, and military operations, effective communication strategy is of paramount importance. A 24/7 television, radio, and Internet news cycle paired with an explosion in social media demands it.

According to James P. Farwell, a former political consultant, the US government's approach to strategic communication has been misguided. Power and Persuasion stands apart for its critical evaluation of the concepts, doctrines, and activities that the US Department of Defense and Department of State employ for the art of strategic communication including psychological operations, military information support operations, propaganda, and public diplomacy. Farwell stresses that words, deeds, actions, and symbols may qualify as strategic communication and aim to mold or shape public opinion to influence behavior in order to attain specific objectives, advance interests, or - viewed from a military perspective - satisfy or create conditions that produce a desired end-state. He contends that a message that is true, consistent, and persuasive is more powerful than any deception.

Persuasion and Power is about the art of strategic communication, how it is used, where, and why. Using historical examples, Farwell illustrates how its principles have made a critical difference throughout history in the outcomes of crises, conflicts, politics, and diplomacy across different cultures and societies. This insightful audiobook will help communications officers, policymakers, and students understand when, where, and how they can apply the principles of strategic communication to advance national security interests.

The book is published by Georgetown University Press.

©2012 Georgetown University Press (P)2013 Redwood Audiobooks

Critic reviews

"In this intelligent and sweeping book, James P. Farwell provides profound insights into how different countries, cultures, and institutions use words and deeds to inform and shape the ideas, values, and actions of others." (William S. Cohen, former Secretary of Defense)

"Again James Farwell connects today's dots with the perplexing challenges of strategic communications. Every kinetic strike must have a strategic message. So much so that the message is more powerful than the strike. That is the insight that Farwell provides along with so many others. A must read for public relations officers, military information officers, and all of today's and tomorrow's leaders." (Lt. Gen. Dell L. Dailey, USA (Ret.), former director, Center for Special Operations, US Special Operations command; former ambassador-at-large and coordinator for counterterrorism, State Department)

"A timely examination of contemporary American strategic communication, Power and Persuasion draws on case studies ripped from the headlines of the last decade. No other book on the strategic communication shelf so clearly lays out the approaches, jargon, tools, and techniques used by State Department diplomats, military officers, and aid workers one finds on the ground in almost every foreign country." (Amb. Brian E. Carlson, defense and diplomacy specialist, InterMedia Research Institute)