Diplomatic Signalling
Diplomatic Signalling
AIRFORCE TIMES:
B-2, fighter jets fly over as Trump-Putin summit begins!
By Michelle E. Price, The Associated Press and Will Weissert, The Associated Press
Aug 15, 2025, 02:47 PM
President Donald Trump greets Russia’s President Vladimir Putin on Friday at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska. (Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP)
JOINT BASE ELMENDORF-RICHARDSON, Alaska — President Donald Trump and Russia’s Vladimir Putin kicked off their Alaska summit with a warm handshake on Friday, greeting each other like old friends before heading into hours of discussions that could reshape the war in Ukraine and relations between Moscow and Washington.
After descending from Air Force One, Trump applauded as Putin approached along a red carpet. They gripped hands for an extended period of time, with both men smiling, and Putin eventually grinned and pointed skyward, where B-2s and F-22s — military aircraft designed to oppose Russia during the Cold War — flew overhead to mark the moment at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson.
Diplomatic signaling as an instrument of emotion transmission:
Thesis by Marie Betts-Johnson
“The role of diplomatic signaling in expressing specific messages is an area where diplomats must have the EQ capability to read between the lines as to the implications of those messages. This endeavor involves intuition and judgment in deciding an appropriate response, along with anticipating the outcome based on past behavior. Signaling is not a new concept; it is defined as: “Something (such as a sound, gesture, or object) that conveys notice or warning” (Merriam Webster, n.d.). In maritime history, dating back to 1543, the first “Signaling Manual” was published; ships signaled their intentions through the hoisting of flags (all of which, both individually and in combination, transmitted a specific meaning) and, as custom dictated: “to place banners in different parts of their ships, to shout, blow trumpets and beat drums, and to ‘hang out a flaming cresset’ at night, to communicate with one another” (Shipping wonders of the world). As to navigation, from literally being lost at sea, using celestial navigation, today’s ships rely on AI and digital technology to communicate signals (Menon, 2021).
So too, communication between governments oftentimes takes the form of signaling, and unlike in the days of trumpets and drums, the messages are instantaneously beamed out all over the world to influence both their publics and their international audiences. The implied messages may be distractions, disinformation, or threats of force, to signal displeasure or as an attempt at coercion.”
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