Archetti, C. (2017) “Narrative Wars: Understanding Terrorism in the Era of Global Interconnectedness,” in A. Miskimmon, B. O’Loughlin, and L. Roselle (eds) Forging the World: Strategic Narratives and International Relations (Ann Arbor: University of Michigan Press), pp. 218-245. (original) (raw)
Related papers
Rutgers University Press, 2012
Download includes book's introduction. Islamic extremism is the dominant security concern of many contemporary governments, spanning the industrialized West to the developing world. Narrative Landmines explores how rumors fit into and extend narrative systems and ideologies, particularly in the context of terrorism, counter-terrorism, and extremist insurgencies. Its concern is to foster a more sophisticated understanding of how oral and digital cultures work alongside economic, diplomatic, and cultural factors that influence the struggles between states and non-state actors in the proverbial battle of hearts and minds. Beyond face-to-face communication, the authors also address the role of new and social media in the creation and spread of rumors. As narrative forms, rumors are suitable to a wide range of political expression, from citizens, insurgents, and governments alike, and in places as distinct as Singapore, Iraq, and Indonesia—the case studies presented for analysis. The authors make a compelling argument for understanding rumors in these contexts as “narrative IEDs,” low-cost, low-tech weapons that can successfully counter such elaborate and expansive government initiatives as outreach campaigns or strategic communication efforts. While not exactly the same as the advanced technological systems or Improvised Explosive Devices to which they are metaphorically related, narrative IEDs nevertheless operate as weapons that can aid the extremist cause.
Narratives, Identity, and Terrorism
Contrary to the prevalent view within governments, narratives are not merely a form of communication, a set of descriptive facts, or a series of statements that support an argument. Fruitful avenues of research would aim to better comprehend how Muslims in the West and elsewhere understand themselves in relation to the different narratives that are available to them. For instance, what is it that leads people to adopt narratives that are less socially predominant? It may be that there is a strategic logic to how and when certain identities are upheld, or it may be that there are identifiable factors and conditions that make the adoption of certain narrative identities more likely. One thing is clear: if the adoption of a global al-Qaeda narrative is what galvanizes ideological support for al-Qaeda and motivates terrorist involvement, then perspectives that limit narrative to the realm of language and argument are not likely to have much infl uence, particularly when that narrative identity involves religion.
"Terrorism, Communication, and the War of Ideas: Al-Qaida's Strategic Narrative as a Brand"
More than a military confrontation, the fight against terrorism is being played in the realm of communication and it involves ideas, values, and perceptions. Official counterterrorism documents and research on radicalization identify a terrorist narrative being strategically deployed by al-Qaida to fuel extremism and attract new recruits. In this context some suggest that the most effective way for Western democracies to counter terrorism is by developing a credible counter-narrative. The article develops the argument that the concept of narrative is more complex than a simple story. It can be useful in understanding the way strategic narratives, while promoted by specific actors to achieve desired objectives, keep on existing through a collective construction and re-telling process. A strategic narrative can be conceptualized for analytical purposes as a brand, particularly in terms of measuring the extent to which the narrative varies across countries and terrorist groups, over time, and in the mind of audiences. A greater understanding of the social construction of strategic narratives can inform a better assessment of what is feasible in the war of ideas against al-Qaida.
Containing the Narrative: Strategy and Tactics in Countering the Storyline of Global Jihad
Journal of Policing, Intelligence and Counter Terrorism, 2010
It has long been recognised that telling a better story is an important part of countering the appeal of Global Jihad. The 'War on Terror' will be diffi cult to win if the 'War on Ideas' is lost. The mushrooming literature on terrorism notwithstanding, the counter-narrative issue has been the subject of surprisingly scant academic attention. Part of the problem is that this is an issue with relatively little empirical work. Still, signifi cant inferences for a counter-narrative strategy can be drawn from existing research. Here we argue that counter-narratives must be tailored to different audiences and must be designed to attack particular mechanisms of radicalisation. In contrast to the top-down approach that has thus far been advocated to confront the claims of Global Jihad 'head on', what is actually needed is a bottom-up approach that reaches
Countering Terrorist Narratives
EU Parliament, Civil Liberties, Justice, and Home Affairs, 2017
This study, commissioned by the European Parliament’s Policy Department for Citizens’ Rights and Constitutional Affairs at the request of the LIBE Committee, provides an overview of current approaches to countering terrorist narratives. The first and second sections outline the different responses developed at the global and European Union levels. The third section presents an analysis of four different approaches to responding to terrorist narratives: disruption of propaganda distribution, redirect method, campaign and message design, and government communications and synchronisation of message and action. The final section offers a number of policy recommendations, highlighting five interrelated ‘lines of effort’ essential to maximising the efficiency and effectiveness of counterterrorism and countering violent extremism strategic communication.
Radicalisation: The Battle of Narrative and Counter Narrative
The concept of narratives and counter-narratives is now being discussed in the field of extremism and countering violent extremism (CVE). What do actually narratives and counter-narrative mean and how are they disseminated? Counter-narratives are considered as important tools to combat terrorist narratives. The need to counter terrorist narratives seems more relevant now as the ISIS has been heavily concentrating on internet outlets especially social networking sites as sophisticated platforms to disseminate their propaganda and narratives.
Calls to Terrorism and Other Weak Narratives
2015
Understanding and harnessing the persuasive powers of narrative is central to current U.S. counter-terrorism efforts. There is general agreement that there is an urgent need to develop effective counter-terrorism narratives while simultaneously destabilizing and exploiting weaknesses in terrorist recruitment narratives. This paper addresses two related persuasive powers-narrative identification and trajectory-and uncovers structural weaknesses that can be strategically manipulated.