Comics as instruments of US diplomacy

THE comic book megastar Donald Duck has been identified as an agent of American imperialism because he articulates American culture and ideology, and grabs the resources of poor countries on his business trips abroad.

The celebrity duck, created by Walt Disney, was both loved and denounced abroad. In many Latin American countries, he was viewed as an imperialist, particularly in Chile where a popularly elected president was overthrown in a US-approved coup in 1973, with Washington recognising the military junta that came to power soon afterwards.

At present too, the US government uses comic books as part of its overseas propaganda strategy to attain specific foreign policy goals.

Donald Duck appeared in serialised comic strips in scores of magazines and newspapers in several languages, including Spanish and Portuguese. He entertained generations of children at thousands of movie halls acr…