What is‌? Strategic communication is a planned series of sustained and coherent activities that develop and promote ideas and opinions with the objective of changing or sustaining particular types of behaviour
Strategic communication is NOT simple media interaction, Information Operations, advertising, marketing, propaganda or spin
Terrorism is the calculated use, or threat of use, of violence for political purposes against civilians
Counterterrorism is the collective term for measures intended to combat or reduce terrorism, and is primarily pre-emptive in nature 2
How can Strategic Communication contribute to Counterterrorism?
Radicalisation
Violence
3
Key Questions How do we measure any changes? Do we understand the behaviour?
? Can we model the behaviour?
Can we design interventions that can change this behaviour?
What influences this behaviour?
Where are the trigger points and barriers?
How does communication support these interventions? 4
The BeliefBehaviour Gap
5 Adapted from: Leuprecht et al, 201
Intervention Process
6
Adapted from: A. Darnton, 2008
Western Use of Strategic Communication
7
Intercultural Intelligence Gap
It’s no see t hard to w Wes hy the t diffi has cu com mun lty icat ing
Source: S.A. Tatham, Dec 2008
8
Terrorist Use of Strategic Communication
9
Audience Segmentation Outsiders Troublemakers, Apostates, Jews, Unbelievers Insiders Existing Backers and Supporters Muslims who could support
10
“How-to” Guide for webJihadists
Source: J. Brachman, 2010
11
Global Jihadi Meta Narrative
12
Objectives of the Global Jihadi Narrative
13
Counter-narratives or Countering Narratives?
14
Conclusion • Strategic communication can be utilised to counter terrorist narratives and to support interventions aimed at preventing or reducing the incidence of violent radicalisation • A far more sophisticated understanding of the complex systems nature of the communication space is required • Western governments’ credibility is too compromised and their ability to control the delivery of a common counternarrative is too fragmented to consider investment in such an initiative at this stage 15