The Media as a Non-State Actor in International Law: An Analytical Study of the Impact of Media on the Legitimacy and Effectiveness of International Agreements

In the postmodern world, the media is considered among other non-state actors within the international legal system. Its role goes far beyond carrying information to become a determinant in international decision-making, particularly regarding negotiations which later become a matter of concluded international agreements. This paper hypothesizes that the media with its discursive power and ability to make or break public opinion has found an objective role either in directing or constraining the contractual will of states. Therefore, there can be an encroachment on the validity of such influenced agreements and their legal as well as practical effectiveness.
The paper will try to analyze this function inside a legal-philosophical discourse on the relation between media, sovereignty, representation, and rule of state consent; and also, within the extent to which mediatic intervention is compatible with the rules of general international law. The study uses a comparative analytical method between and supported by real practical examples from current international negotiations for a balanced scholarly approach to the legality and limits of media intervention in international treaty-making processes.