Is International Persuasion Sociologically Feasible?

Abstract

On the face of it, international persuasion is ob viously feasible from the sociological viewpoint, since there are numerous examples in international relationships when, even under the stress of crisis, a certain amount of successful propa ganda has been recorded. Success has normally been in re inforcement rather than in conversion. But considering the widening gap—economic, but also social, psychological and political—between the rich nations and the poor nations, and the resultant "revolution of rising frustrations" in the latter, international communication has been less feasible over the past two decades. If global communication is to become feasible in the next two decades, we must adapt and exploit the major technological advances of recent years and develop the "soft ware" to help the poor nations enter into a truly global com munication network.