ABSTRACT

This chapter analyzes a TV discussion, in which politicians of each of Austria's major parties, as well as several other participants, met to discuss the topic of "Austria between Neutrality and the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)." This TV discussion provides a good example of the public discourse about neutrality. The chapter introduces the data and each of the participants and presents the methodology and an overview of the whole TV discussion, with a characterization of the roles the different participants played in the discussion. It analysis the contributions of the coalition representatives, and analyzes a short excerpt of their contributions. Their positions and discourse style will be contrasted with those of a participating 'expert.' The chapter summarizes the analysis, returns to the research questions, and discusses some of the results in the framework of the meaning and changes of public space.