Rhetorical Nation-Building: A Close Textual Analysis of MacArthur, Heuss, and Karzai as Agents of Renewal

Warfare has largely shifted from means of domination into a method of peacemaking. Nations increasingly utilize war to dismantle hostile nations and rebuild them with compatible political identities, which potentially creates more lasting peace than treaties or annexation. However, U.S. attempts at nation-building have varied success and, at times, prolong hostility. This study frames the nation-building process as an act of crisis communication and examines the role of rhetoric in this nation-building process. A close textual analysis was performed to examine discourse of renewal in two successful examples in Japan and West Germany, and in an example of failure in Afghanistan. Findings include a three-prong model for successful rhetorical nation-building and guidance on rhetorical factors to consider before engaging in nation-building.