A Three-Axis Model of Media Evaluation in International Conflict: Procedure, Outcome, and Order as Competing Standards of "Peace" (Case Note: U.S. Strike on Iran, March 2026)

This paper proposes a three-axis model for analysing how major media evaluate internationalconflict: Procedure, Outcome, and Order. The model explains why coverage often privilegesprocedural legitimacy and short-term friction while under-reporting long-horizon stabilisationeffects when force is used to “fix” a new order. Two historical patterns are used to ground themodel—(i) order-formation by decisive force (Qin unification) and (ii) negotiated peacebecoming feasible after force clarifies constraints (Richard I and Saladin). A case note on theU.S. strike on Iran (March 2026) illustrates how alliance behaviour and deterrence signals areinterpreted differently under the three axes. The paper closes by defining “peace” not asprocedural quietness but as the sustainable fixation of order, and asks what standards shouldgovern that definition.