Using the Transatlantic Business Dialogue (TABD), the phenomenon of governmentbusiness dialogues is examined. TABD, a corporate coalition, advises the E.U. and U.S. governments regarding business regulation and global trade. Because of increasing economic and political disputes between the European Union and United States, TABD faces a dual rhetorical challenge: promoting its success to business and government participants to further the process while encountering a small but growing activist community protesting TABD’s influence as an example of corporate hegemony. Continued protest may bring unwelcome attention to TABD, threatening its legitimacy with the larger public. TABD employs the language of the two-way symmetrical model of public relations as a means of issue management. TABD strategically exploits the multifarious meanings of dialogue to promote and legitimize a hegemonic role in establishing transatlantic business regulations and trade policy. Critical examination reveals how TABD excludes multiple viewpoints from public dialogue about trade and business policies.
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