To Örebro University

War and conflict journalism is today facing worse problems than ever because of a context that lacks clear contours, but involves greater uncertainty and risks than in previous eras, and challenges the theoretical and analytical perspectives that have existed since at least a century - if not ever since the 17th century. It is even uncertain whether the distinction between war and peace is meaningful to apply to the security problems facing the international community in the present. And then, previous research on war and peace journalism might be almost obsolete?

The historical changes that lie behind are mainly about globalization, the international dominance of the neo-liberal economy and the emergence of a threat-society that may develop into a hate-society. In the area of security policy, the implications have, as Mary Kaldor has shown, been the retreat of the geopolitical security-culture in favor of hybrids between the competing security-cultures, i.e. new wars, liberal peace and the war on terrorism. International law with its conceptual and institutional base in geopolitics is no longer maintained, neither fully respected by any side in the war on terrorism. The distinction civil - military has lost in importance and, instead of territorial conflicts, the conflicts are now about controlling populations, according to Kaldor's important analysis.

USA’s and her allies’ “war on terrorism” has resulted in “the deadliest and most diversified expression of the global uncertainty of today” (Kaldor 2018) as a hybrid together with new wars and geopolitics. The destabilization of the Middle East region in illegal wars and regime change in countries like Iraq and Libya has in all practical terms created failed states and a failed region.  The on-going battle for hegemony and interference by Russia and Western countries in Syria has created flows of refugee and caused a threat not only to the stability in the Middle East, but in Africa, Central Asia and in Europe as well. The media seems unable to deal with such complex issues in a comprehensive and critical manner.

For journalism, these fundamental changes pose huge challenges and dangers. Not only intellectual and cognitive difficulties arise in the wake of the hybrid culture's metamorphoses. Without the protection of international law, media and journalists are inevitably, and in fact irrespective of their own intentions, part of the warfare. Journalism is martialized at the same time as the conflicts are mediatized. When domination does not focus on territories but on bio-political control of the populations, journalists end up in the centre of the battle, as the contested terrain is the general public’s perceptions, positions and actions in the conflicts.