Journal of Technical Writing and Communication Jan 2026

Lessons in Security Logics from Cold-War Guatemala

Brittany Halley The Ohio State University ; Elizabeth Velasquez The Ohio State University

Abstract

The CIA's Operation PBSuccess represents a pivotal moment in Cold War securitization that illuminates technical communication's role in security contexts. We use Haas and Frost's apparent decolonial feminist (ADF) rhetoric of risk to trace how communicators mediated security logics across cultures and networks while exploiting technological asymmetries between the US and Guatemala. Building on theories of risk and (in)security framing, we demonstrate how the scriptwriters and hosts of Radio Liberación , as technical communicators, functioned as security actors complicit in the decades-long aftermath. We conclude by calling on technical communicators to approach risk communication through continued decolonial praxis.

Journal
Journal of Technical Writing and Communication
Published
2026-01-01
DOI
10.1177/00472816251384909
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Topics
rhetorical criticism decolonial rhetorics technical communication gender and writing
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