ABSTRACT
This chapter argues that the analytical framework of character assassination has the capacity to be extended to the interstate level, leading to the notion of ‘country assassination.’ This term is defined as destroying the reputation of a country by attacking the image of the country itself, its government and/or its political leadership. Through the process of personification, states are identified with their political leaders. Consequently, a personal attack on a leader may lead to the deconstruction of the image of the country, given that the leader remains in power. This study explores the German narrative during the re-negotiation of the Greek rescue plan – the ‘memorandum,’ as it has come to be known – in the Euro-group between January and July 2015. The research focuses on the discourse of German finance minister Schäuble and the strategies he employed, in the context of the financial crisis, to deconstruct the image of Greece and the Greek government.
