Understanding Pakistan’s Political Rhetoric in the Global War on Terror: A Post-structural Discourse Analysis

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to offer a nuance understanding of Pakistan’s foreign policy in the post 9/11 context in the image of post-positivist tradition. Grounded in post-structural image and post-structural discourse analysis (PDA) this study endeavors to make sense of political rhetoric in the global war on terror. In the same vein, Pakistan’s narrative on the global war on terror is unfolded. Based on the primary text of a memoire by President Musharraf, the study develops a clear understanding of how the language of identity, security and morality was employed by the then military regime in Pakistan. It argues that such a narrative was pivotal to pave Pakistan’s way to participate in the global war on terror as and it was intelligible enough for the domestic and international audience. Finally, this study invites future researchers to employ the post-structural image in unfolding the complex world of politics.