Computationally Intensive Content Analysis of Public Diplomacy Data: Understanding the Public Remarks of US Secretaries of State, 1997-2011 Derrick L. Cogburn American University/Syracuse University dcogburn@american.edu Abstract This paper continues to test the ASSANA methodology for the computer-assisted analysis of large-scale, unstructured, text-based data in international affairs research. Traditional methodologies for exploring the role of the Secretary of State in projecting “soft power” have focused on reading and analyzing texts to uncover important themes and patterns. However, the increasingly large volume of data available presents a significant challenge for these traditional methods of analysis. We examine three data sets consisting of every remark by Secretary Clinton since taking office (n=2,438), Secretary Rice from 2005-2009 (n=1,766), and Secretary Albright from 1997-2001 (n=1,335). We use computer-assisted content analysis to find key themes for each Secretary and search for similarities between key themes and phrases. We find a limited number of similar keywords across the dataset, except International and Issues. However, the following phrases are shared between all Secretaries: Human Rights, Foreign Policy, Middle East, International Community, and North Korea. 1. Introduction The United States is a unique case study in foreign policy. As the world’s leading economic and military powerhouse it plays a critical role in foreign affairs but has preferred historically to eschew many long-term international entanglements. Throughout its rise to become the world’s only remaining superpower, US ideals and values have shaped its foreign policy through promoting freedom and democracy around the world. The Monroe Doctrine aligned America with an “open door” policy as well, increasing its international presence and pressure on authoritarian regimes and governments [12]. However, as the events of September 11 illustrated vividly, the American image and actions Amy Wozniak American University awozniak711@gmail.com abroad have very real security and prosperity consequences at home. As Frederic McCormick states in his 1911 piece, “If [a nation] has no great foreign affairs it will not only lack greatness, but it will also be incapable in some of the essentials of nationality” [12]. The Department of State is the primary foreign policy agency within the United States. The US has embassies, consulates, and diplomatic relations with countries spreading from Iceland to Japan, which carry out international policy functions. At the top of this organization sits the Secretary of State, the United States’ highest official in foreign affairs. The Secretary of State serves as an American spokesman, foreign policy creator, and international negotiator. The Department of State’s Mission is to, “Shape and sustain a peaceful, prosperous, just, and democratic world and foster conditions for stability and progress for the benefit of the American people and people everywhere” [5]. Recently, international relations scholars have asked questions about the role of the Secretary of State in projecting “soft power” and the differences in scope, focus, and tone, based on venue and audience [4]; [11]; [13]. However, the large volume of text-based data now becoming available, presents a significant challenge for traditional methods of social science analysis. Most scholars confronted with this “data deluge” [14] have been confined to smaller samples of her speeches because of time and resource constraints. Further, we can identify no systematic study of the impact of female Secretaries of State in the United States. As Berman and Brady note, social scientists recognize the promise of using large-scale digital data to answer important research questions, but frequently do not have the skills or infrastructure to capitalize on them. Many social scientists trained only in traditional methods of qualitative analysis, and even those using computer assisted qualitative data analysis software (CAQDAS) software, find it difficult to cope with the time and effort required to analyze these large data sources [2]. New texts are emerging to help train non-specialists on these techniques [15]. 2013 46th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences 1530-1605/12 $26.00 © 2012 IEEE DOI 10.1109/HICSS.2013.140 1267 2013 46th Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences 1530-1605/12 $26.00 © 2012 IEEE DOI 10.1109/HICSS.2013.140 1269