Abstract
At a time of rising authoritarianism and disillusionment with democratic institutions, the far right has emerged as a destabilizing political force in democracies worldwide. Under a shared reactionary agenda, far right groups attribute the perceived degradation of cultural principles and moral values to the liberal international order, epitomised by the concept of globalism. Leveraging social media's reach, the far right’s discourse on foreign policy disseminates disinformation and conspiracy theories while promoting nationalism and advocating for sovereignty. This thesis examines how the Brazilian far right mobilises foreign policy discourse on social media, particularly on X (formerly Twitter). Analysing over 12 million tweets from 2019 to 2022, it investigates how this rhetoric shapes foreign policy attitudes and mirrors global trends. Using a mixed method approach, which includes network analysis and discourse analysis, the study identifies far right’s key actors, digital communities, and specific discursive elements driving online debates. It finds that the Brazilian far right has weaponized foreign policy discourse through a unique mobilization of trust-based networks and effective discursive structures, such as conspiracy theories, discredit of contrarian discourse and the creation of diffuse enemies. Such politicization of international issues, with immediate association of foreign policy attitudes to domestic political affections, is unprecedented in Brazil, and emerges as a feat of Bolsonarismo - a new political identity in the country’s political landscape. Relying on social platforms, this strategy has turned foreign policy beliefs into central features of Bolsonarismo’s identity. This work contributes to the global literature investigating the far right, illustrating a reproducible discursive structure that favours the far right’s weaponization of foreign affairs to incite domestic support. With close affinity to other far-right movements - from MAGA in the US to Vox in Spain - Bolsonarismo echoes these groups’ international conceptions and adapts them to national realities. By outlining these shared communication strategies, this thesis helps understand how uniform foreign policy discourses are effectively appropriated in countries with different profiles and often disparate interests. Additionally, this research reflects on social platforms’ ability to influence foreign policy attitudes and shape the public debate by favouring radical and extremist discourse, posing a challenge to democratic governance.Key words: Far Right Discourse; Social Media; Foreign Policy Narratives; Digital Populism; Brazilian Far Right; Brazilian Foreign Policy
| Date of Award | 24 Mar 2025 |
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| Original language | English |
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| Supervisor | affiliated academic (Supervisor), Andreza De Souza Santos (Supervisor) & Raphael Cunha (Supervisor) |