The Info War against ISIS

Commentary: Islamic State militant group ran an info war ‘like a viral marketing campaign’ – CNACommentary: Islamic State militant group ran an info war ‘like a viral marketing campaign’ – CNA

The terrorist group is defeated because we have taken back all the land they controlled — said no one. ever.

Insurgencies are clan wars, “our clan demands the political right to self governance.” That is every terrorist, insurgent, freedom fighter manifesto ever. “The ingroup are the real ppl, and we are the true representatives of the ingroup.” The ingroup is a clan identity, regardless of whatever it’s unique elements are, the critical part is what makes it distinct from the outgroup. These frontiers between ingroup/outgroup have a tendency towards conflict.

As long as there are people whose clan identity takes prominence over their other identities, where their salient identity is the clan, then they will inevitably be involved in the struggle against the outgroup. This is the foundation of insurgent strength. Individuals who choose ingroup identity, clan identity, over other identities. Clan identities are very strong, with deep emotional bonds, and a strong element of self esteem and belonging.

Terrorists know about clan identity and the utility it has for their objectives. Frequently the attacks they conduct are carried out with the goal of causing an overreaction by the authorities, and thus reinforcing the distinctive clan boundary between ingroup / outgroup. They want more people to adopt their clan identity as their prominent identity.

Part of how the terrorists achieve recruitment to the cause, the spreading of clan identity, is through propaganda. This article touches on a fallacy about the defeat of ISIS — that a battlefield defeat is meaningful in anyway (they’re insurgents, they win by enduring, not by occupying territory).

Information war plays a more prominent role in modern insurgencies because of the sea change provided by the Internet which enables insurgents to reach audiences far outside their geographic location. They also control the entire message, allowing them more effective perception management.

Publicity is the lifeblood of all terrorist groups, say Anne-Marie Slaughter and Asha C Castleberry.
— Read on www.channelnewsasia.com/news/commentary/how-islamic-state-info-war-like-a-viral-marketing-campaign-11956288

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