Executive Summary 
The attention-grabbing arrest of Klaus Zumwinkel live on camera on 14 February 2008 
triggered the German and international tax debate, which was carried out via international — 
and especially German — media. 
Conflicts like this tax debate will increase between States in the emerging world society. In 
order to handle them, professional communication by Government offices using agenda 
setting and issue management will play an ever greater role. 
The classic form of communication between States is traditional diplomacy, the purpose of 
which is to resolve international disputes by peaceful means. Public diplomacy complements 
classic diplomacy by including the public, and it encompasses all communication measures 
between a Government and the public of another country. The German tax debate was carried 
out via the media, even though it had an obvious political dimension. 
The present thesis analyzes and interprets the case study “Liechtenstein and the German tax 
affair” with the help of agenda setting and issue management theories. It researches which 
actors made themselves heard by way of which influence processes, which actors were 
present in the media, and which issues were managed in what way. “Social framing of issues” 
— a model developed by Wolfgang Eichhorn within agenda setting theory — serves as the basis 
for analysis and interpretation. This model was originally developed for application within a 
single society. The present thesis examines whether this model may also be applied to 
transnational communication, i.e. communication between two States, based on the 
hypothesis that transnational communication carried out via the media is becoming 
“communication within a single system” as a consequence of progressing globalization, and 
thus increasingly the same rules apply as to businesses. 
The methodology chosen is a detailed document analysis of the German print media in the 
period from 1 January to 31 March 2008. 
The thesis concludes that the model of social framing of issues is applicable in principle, but 
must be extended. Agenda setting and issue management not only take place within the States 
involved in the conflict, but also between these States as well as with respect to other States 
and organizations that may not be directly involved in the original conflict, but that consider 
themselves affected by the fundamental issues raised by the conflict. Moreover, the 
framework conditions permeating and influencing the disputed issues and relations between 
the various arenas must also be considered. The new model of transnational framing of issues 
developed in the present thesis takes account of these considerations. 
Keywords 
Agenda setting, social framing of issues, transnational framing of issues, 
issues, issue management, tax affairs 
communication processes, communication between States 
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