FLAG and the diplomacy of the Iran hostage families

Strieff, Daniel (2017) FLAG and the diplomacy of the Iran hostage families. Diplomacy and Statecraft, 28 (4). pp. 702-725. ISSN 0959-2296

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Abstract

The extraordinary public diplomacy carried out by the families of the American hostages held in Iran from 1979 -1981 domesticated and humanised the biggest foreign policy crisis of Jimmy Carter's presidency. The families, notably represented by the Family Liaison Action Group (FLAG), led an unprecedented campaign to raise awareness of the plight of their relatives. The families designed their efforts to garner public and media attention, and manage relations with the press. To that end, the news media emerge as a singularly influential domestic actor in this episode. Moreover, women constituted the vast majority of family members regularly cited in news coverage and occupied a sizeable leadership role within organised activities during the crisis. The centrality of the families helped harden American attitudes toward Iran: not merely an outgrowth of a diplomatic dispute, it represented a sort of personal violence toward individual Americans and their families.

Item Type:	Article
Official URL:	http://www.tandfonline.com/toc/fdps20/current
Additional Information:	© 2017 Taylor & Francis Group, LLC
Divisions:	International History
Subjects:	C Auxiliary Sciences of History > CD Diplomatics. Archives. Seals E History America > E151 United States (General)
Date Deposited:	22 Feb 2018 14:32
Last Modified:	07 Mar 2024 20:45
URI:	http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/id/eprint/86833

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