Islamic State: opportunism and propaganda
10 March 2015 | In the Media
The Islamic State terrorist organization seizes every opportunity to imply that it has grown much more than it actually has thanks to, according to Lurdes Vidal, a modern propaganda apparatus with two strategies: sowing fear among Western public opinion and recruit fighters and followers.
Under this logic, the assassination of 21 Egyptian Copts in Libya was an exercise in premeditated opportunism, explained the head of the Arab and Mediterranean World area of the IEMed in the program El Matí on Radio 4. In Libya there is no well-established network of Islamic State fighters but the situation of misgovernment is conducive for the terrorist organization to show itself as a near and direct threat to Europe.
In Libya, two governments are facing each other (one based in Tripoli and the other in Tobruk) and there is a situation of social and economic chaos, a militia puzzle – some of them with very radical tendencies and a handful of weapons scattered throughout the country. For Lourdes Vidal, those are factors that lead Islamic State to invest in the terrorist faction of Libya. In addition, Islamic State sees in this country an alternative source of funding due to the economic difficulties the organization is going through in Syria and Iraq.
Islamic State is not Al Qaeda
At the moment they are rival organizations, says the IEMed analyst. Although in Iraq they come from the same establishment, as ex-soldiers of Saddam Hussein’s former army, the struggle between two strong personalities led Islamic State to split during the 2003 invasion of the country.
Both organizations are present in Syria, but the goals they pursue are very different, she points out. Al-Qaeda aims to eliminate the enemy, the West, and win the hearts of Muslims. Islamic State, on the other hand, has a much more local agenda, focused on conquering a territory and settling in it as a political force, in order to govern through the establishment of state structures, such as Koranic schooling. In this case, the fight with the West comes into the background, explains Vidal, when the organization begins to grow and encounters the opposition of the West that decides to attack it.
As for recruitment networks, the analyst is convinced that they are very similar in both cases. However, the Islamic State propaganda apparatus has proved much more attractive and effective. The organization has three producers at its service who have implemented innovative resources such as “mujatweets”, videos of less than a minute with idealized scenes of everyday life in Raqa. Far from the long religious sermons spread by al-Qaeda, Islamic State has shown a fresher propaganda style, aimed at consumer societies, both Arab and Western.
Geostrategic movements in the region
The whole region is involved and interested in fighting Islamic State. Each state faces it within its territory and protects its borders, but capabilities are limited, the IEMed analyst warns. Lands like Jordan’s are fragile, given the high presence and sensitivity of Syrian refugees.
In terms of international relations, Vidal believes that a golden opportunity has been missed. Negotiations on Iran’s nuclear program could have been an ideal opportunity to come up with a unified response to both the Syrian conflict and the expansion of the Islamic State. We need to think beyond the simple nuclear deal, says Vidal. Leverage Iran’s ability to influence Syria and Hezbollah. And Saudi Arabia, no matter how nervous and threatened by the possible deal right now, will have to end up approaching Iran. The IEMed analyst is very clear: “If there is no joint political response, the beast will not disappear.”