Nato’s Approaches to Shaping Narratives

Abstract

The article attempts a political science analysis of the features of the formation of narratives in accordance with modern NATO norms and standards, which can be implemented in the domestic system of strategic communications.
It is determined that the influence of narratives is of great importance for military personnel, since the scope of their activities is usually associated with an unfavorable and hostile information and cultural environment. The narratives of the defense forces should be clearly correlated with the government’s strategic narratives for full coordination of the state’s activities in the information space.
It is proved that the main object of influence of narratives is the target audience, which is determined depending on the purpose and objectives of the implementation of strategic communications. The result of such influence is the formation of such a system of stable ideas about the actions of another state among the target audiences, which would fully justify certain actions.
It is established that narratives guide and coordinate NATO’s activities at all levels of government. According to NATO standards, there are three levels of narratives: institutional narrative, strategic narrative and micronarrative.
It is found that despite significant success in the implementation of strategic communications, the existing mechanisms for the formation of narratives are still imperfect. This is primarily due to the unsystematic coordination of strategic communications, excessive politicization of the information and communication space, and Russian destructive propaganda.
It is summarized that NATO’s approaches to the formation of narratives provide for a clear and synchronized formation of such information, which will be presented in a high-quality and reliable message, with no freedom for ambiguity and without the prospect of misinterpretation, and the contexts in which the messages are located must be clearly understood, which is especially important in the field of national security. When forming narratives, it is important to correctly identify the target audiences of information influence. The most optimal source of necessary data is sociological research conducted in accordance with international norms and standards.