The Discursive Construction Of National Security

National security,commonly defined as a nation being in a state free from danger and threat,is currently in the spotlight worldwide.Because faced with the increasingly complicated international situation,countries in general are challenged with severe threats.In particular,being the sole global superpower,the U.S.plays a crucially important role in the field of national and international security.National Security Strategy of the United States(NSS for short)is the most authoritative document regarding the American national security affairs,which directly or indirectly shows their concept of and policy on national security.International as well as Chinese scholars have studied past American documents on national security strategy but usually in terms of its strategies of national security.This dissertation,however,will focus on the U.S.concept of national security,with the aim to achieve a thorough understanding of the discursive construction of the national security concept as found in the 2017 NSS document.This study will be conducted within the framework of Cultural Discourse Studies(CDS).CDS defines discourse as a cultural-communicative activity where participants interact with specific intentions through language or other mediums in certain cultural and historical backgrounds.Accordingly,the U.S.document is seen as such an event in which the U.S.communicates with not only the domestic audience but also the rest of the world.Relevant components including discursive agents,contents,forms,purposes,cultural and historical relations are examined to better understand the Trump Administration's concept of national security.Through analysis,it will be seen that,generally speaking,the current American national security concept emerges as self-centered,superior,and hegemonic in relation to those of other nations on account of three broad strategies,namely,(1)the “America First” strategy;(2)creating enemies through binary ways of thinking,and(3)showing(off)military and economic prowess by saber-rattling.The concept is rendered present through plain and easy-to-remember expressions and especially abundant discursive strategies of binary ways of thinking,saber-rattling,fear-mongering,repetition,boasting,emphasis,definition,categorization,inference,contrast,hyperbole,derogatory term,aggressive term and vague expression.Through these constructions,it will also be seen,the Trump Administration attempts to derive political and public support on the one hand and make its aggressive strategies legitimate on the other hand;secondly,to enhance America's sense of security through deterring adversaries and potential threats;lastly,to emphasize its determination and confidence in upholding the role of a global leader.In order to achieve a deeper insight into the national security concept of the U.S.,this dissertation also makes a cultural comparison with that of China.Because the Chinese people value harmony,their security concept stresses peace and conflict avoidance.Starkly different from the Chinese,the American security concept is more aggressive by highlighting the ulterior objective of global hegemony because they firmly uphold individualism,the belief of missionary identity and militarism.In addition,a historical perspective is taken up in the interpretation of the American national security concept.Compared with the Administrations of G.W.Bush and of Obama,respectively,the Trump Administration stresses principled realism and absolute security,focusing more on interests rather than values especially in military and economic security affairs.On top of cultural and historical analysis,this dissertation also suggests that the specific international context has played a role in shaping the current American view of national security.Specially,the U.S.strives for absolute security because of the international multi-polarity of powers and the increasingly complex and widespread threats.Besides,the dissertation argues that President Trump's distinctive personality of narcissism and his previous work experience in business also contribute to the construction of America's national security concept.It is hoped that the present analysis of America's concept of national security in terms of discursive construction reveals its characteristics as well as reasons behind them unseen in extant literature.Through the clarification of the U.S.concept of national security of the Trump Administration,light is also shed on the nature of the current U.S.government as a whole.Hopefully,moreover,a deeper understanding of the nature of America's national security is reached here,too.