Strategic narratives and the Rhetorical construction of European Identity: The case of Ursula von der Leyen and Ukraine: The case of Ursula von der Leyen and Ukraine
Author
Nielsen, Emil Vinter
Term
4. semester
Education
Publication year
2025
Submitted on
2025-05-28
Pages
79
Abstract
This thesis examines how Ursula von der Leyen uses strategic narratives on social media to justify and shape the European Union’s policies and public support for Ukraine during the Russo‑Ukrainian war. Here, strategic narratives are understood as broad stories that make sense of events and point to preferred actions. Drawing on strategic narrative theory and the strategic narrative buy‑in framework (which focuses on how audiences accept and support a narrative), the study analyzes tweets to identify dominant themes, rhetorical devices, and how the narrative evolves over time. The analysis shows how von der Leyen’s communication speaks to both material interests (such as security and costs) and ontological security—people’s need for a stable sense of who “we” are as Europeans—to strengthen resonance and maintain a shared EU identity. Eurobarometer survey data (EU‑wide public opinion polls) are used to track shifts in public sentiment over time. The study also reflects on social media’s effectiveness as a strategic communication tool, given its capacity for immediate engagement and feedback. Findings indicate that von der Leyen adaptively uses identity, issue, and system narratives—stories about who we are, what the problem is, and how the international order should work—to keep a coherent line and justify policy even as public enthusiasm wanes. This illuminates the complex links between political communication, public sentiment, and strategic policymaking in a crisis, and the challenges and opportunities supranational actors face when sustaining a unified policy narrative during a prolonged conflict.
Denne afhandling undersøger, hvordan Ursula von der Leyen bruger strategiske narrativer på sociale medier til at begrunde og forme EU’s politik og den offentlige opbakning til Ukraine under den russisk-ukrainske krig. Strategiske narrativer forstås her som overordnede fortællinger, der sætter begivenheder i sammenhæng og peger på ønskede handlinger. Med udgangspunkt i teorien om strategiske narrativer og den såkaldte strategic narrative buy‑in‑ramme (en ramme for, hvordan publikum accepterer og støtter en fortælling) analyseres tweets for at finde gennemgående temaer, retoriske greb og hvordan fortællingen udvikler sig over tid. Analysen ser på, hvordan von der Leyens kommunikation både adresserer materielle interesser (fx sikkerhed og omkostninger) og ontologisk sikkerhed – en stabil følelse af, hvem “vi” er som europæere – for at øge fortællingens gennemslagskraft og fastholde en fælles EU-identitet. Eurobarometer-data (EU’s løbende meningsmålinger) bruges til at følge skift i den offentlige opinion over tid. Afhandlingen vurderer også sociale mediers effektivitet som strategisk kommunikationsværktøj, fordi de giver mulighed for øjeblikkelig kontakt og feedback fra offentligheden. Resultaterne peger på, at von der Leyen fleksibelt anvender identitets-, sags- og systemnarrativer – fortællinger om hvem vi er, hvad problemet er, og hvordan den internationale orden bør fungere – for at bevare en sammenhængende linje og legitimere politik, selv om den offentlige begejstring aftager. Dermed synliggøres det komplekse samspil mellem politisk kommunikation, offentlig stemning og strategisk politikutformning under en krise, samt de udfordringer og muligheder, overstatslige aktører står over for, når de skal fastholde en samlet politisk fortælling i en langvarig konflikt.
[This apstract has been rewritten with the help of AI based on the project's original abstract]