The Presence of Rumor in Peripheral States and Institutions
In the realm of international politics, small states are at a disadvantage. Their small size typically renders them susceptible to larger states with greater military and economic might. Small states typically have lesser resources, hence a restricted scope of action in the international arena, as described by David Vital in his 1967 classic The Inequality of States. One manner in which the small state consequently pursues its strategies is via actions in the realm of propaganda, with a reduced cost-of entry barrier visa-vie other areas such as military buildup. The Taliban in Afghanistan is a good example in that their rapid was clearly paved by 'oral propaganda' or rumors across the southwestern countryside; here-say of their aggression and character reduced challenges to their ascending power, which would have otherwise drastically increased its costs. Curiously, the same observation might be said of peripheral institutions, whose ability to influence their respective realms on a global scale are severely constricted by their smaller resources. In the real of academia, however, this dynamic is dangerous given the tendency to believe 'oral truths' without any sort of verification, as noted by Carlos Pabon in his Nación Postmortem. The role and function of academia is to look for and diffuse the "truth", not to spread rumors and lies.