Pandemic and war: crisis narrative and leadership. Analysis of the presidential speeches at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

Introduction. Crises caused by unforeseen events such as COVID-19 challenge political actors’ communication and leadership abilities. In response, these politicians establish communication strategies that seek to redefine and reinforce their leadership (and their image) before public opinion. Methodology. This text analyzes the development of some of the strategies carried out by the political leaders of the three European countries mostly affected by the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic: Emmanuel Macron (France), Giuseppe Conte (Italy) and Pedro Sánchez (Spain). The analysis is based on generative semiotics and focuses on the study of the semi-operative, semantic and discursive dimensions. Results. In the specific case of the coronavirus pandemic, such narratives introduce issues related to war and combat. In this way, they facilitate the appearance of sub-frames such as heroism and patriotism. Discussion. There is great similarity between all the discourses analyzed when making use of the narrative sequence of the hero's realization. Neither the different political context, nor the diverse evolution of the pandemic in each of the countries analyzed, as well as the different political status of the leaders, entails a differentiation in their narrative bases and in their war frameworks. Conclusions. It is confirmed that the new narratives originate in traditional discursive orders such as the warlike and the epic-heroic and a novelty stands out: the role that science plays in accompanying this discourse.