Afterword

Do we really need another book on the Islamic State (IS)? In some sense no, because the market is flooded (woe to the author hoping to write a bestseller with “ISIS” in the title). In another sense, we need it more than ever because it is only now, after the dust has settled, that we can hope to truly understand what hit us a few years ago. The value of stock-taking is eminently illustrated by this volume on IS propaganda, where the contributors benefit from hindsight and a full information picture to shed new light on the IS phenomenon....

Countering Islamic State’s Propaganda

This chapter reflects on the challenge of countering the Islamic State (IS) in the information environment. National and international efforts to counter the group must—and must continue to—go beyond military operations and political initiatives and include a range of counterpropaganda activities. This chapter combines a scholarly approach with the view of practitioners in order to identify and discuss the challenges brought about by two types of counterpropaganda. First, it examines the issues associated with efforts to deny IS access to the information environment, especially online, by shutting down accounts and deleting content. Second, it addresses the possibilities and pitfalls of various approaches to directly engage and compete with IS propaganda in the information environment, including through the propagation of counter- and alternative narratives.

Situating Islamic State’s Message

This chapter offers a presentation of the message conveyed in Islamic State (IS) propaganda, as well as an in-depth exploration of its social and theological origins. The chapter thus clarifies the various theological interpretations and social dynamics that constitute the foundation of IS’s message and make it appealing for some. The key concepts structuring IS’s message are highlighted, their origins and evolutions are traced, and the way these concepts have eventually come to coalesce into an autonomous message distinct from those enunciated by other Islamist groups is explained. Such a “genealogy”—ranging from medieval thinker Ibn Taymiyyah to 2018 IS—is required to fully understand how these particular dimensions of this message are articulated and disseminated in specific ways by the various outlets constituting IS’ “full-spectrum propaganda” (magazines, videos, books, etc.).

Introduction: Full-Spectrum Propaganda

This introductory chapter exposes the general framework uniting the various contributions to the volume, conceptualizing the “Islamic State (IS) moment” between innovation and continuity in the history of propaganda. Specifically, it claims that the unprecedented character of IS’s propaganda enterprise stands neither in the originality of the themes it promotes nor in the formats it uses, but rather in its project of constituting the first sustained and largely successful attempt from a terror group to build a “full-spectrum propaganda.” This chapter also clarifies the aims and goals of the book, identifies its contribution to the field, and presents its logic of progression.

Terrorist Propaganda After the Islamic State

Tactical and technological innovations of one terrorist group often cross-pollinate into other groups with wildly different ideologies and from geographically diverse combat theaters. The aim of this chapter is thus to examine the potential imitation/emulation dynamics that extremist groups (both jihadist and other) might enter following the “success” of the propaganda produced by the Islamic State (IS). The chapter looks at two aspects of this problem: first, to what extent did IS innovate or imitate while producing its propaganda, and, second, how likely is it that IS’s propaganda will constitute a source of imitation for today’s and tomorrow’s violent groups? Drawing on what organizational psychology, business management, communications science, and terrorism studies say regarding creativity and innovation, the chapter highlights the drivers of IS’s innovation and thereby considers the likelihood of their being replicated elsewhere.

From Music to Books, from Pictures to Numbers

This chapter explores components of the Islamic State’s (IS) propaganda not usually taken into account by observers of the group. The authors scrutinize five components in particular: religious chants (anashīd), photo galleries/reports, infographics, books, and news communiqués (by al-Bayan Radio and A’maq News Agency). It is argued that only by incorporating these five elements can a comprehensive picture of IS’s full-spectrum approach toward propaganda emerge, one that clarifies its well-known visual and linguistic universe. Although these five components might be less familiar to Western audiences, they nonetheless deliver specific and singular contributions to IS’s propaganda efforts, especially among non-Western publics. This chapter shows that these elements play a tripartite role in the establishment of IS’s full-spectrum propaganda: first, their ubiquity and repetitive character heavily contribute to the relentless reiteration of the message constructed in other IS propaganda outputs; second, they accentuate the emotional impact of the propaganda; and, third, they reinforce IS’s legitimacy.

Islamic State’s Propaganda and Social Media

This chapter describes how the Islamic State (IS) used social media in sometimes innovative, sometimes less novel ways to advance its full-spectrum propaganda. The chapter takes a social psychological perspective to explain how and why the group’s social media strategy was effective, documenting IS’s ability to develop a coherent and cohesive shared social identity and brand through social media (particularly Twitter) interactions. It is argued that while IS responded to technological developments in online and social media to develop a sophisticated media strategy, at the same time, social media played an instrumental role in the development and evolution of IS itself. This chapter also offers an opportunity to critically examine methodological challenges, future research opportunities, and the conceptual implications of studying the activities of IS and other extremist groups online.

Shock and Inspire

This chapter provides a systematic overview of Islamic State (IS) video production, highlighting its key features, organization, and role in the group’s full-spectrum propaganda effort. To do so, the chapter combines a quantitative, descriptive analysis of overall video production (in terms of production volume and quality), with a qualitative analysis of the major “scripts”—that is, frequent standardized combinations of spoken and visual components constructing micro-narratives that partake of IS’s broader propaganda message. Mainstream media has contributed to establish IS’s videos as “instant icons” that shape the dominant visual representation of IS and Islamism more generally among Western populations.

The Matrix of Islamic State’s Propaganda

This chapter offers an overview of the Islamic State’s (IS) magazines, discusses their main features, and analyzes their content. Focusing on the language and images used to promote the group’s “master narrative,” the chapter shows how the group’s magazines attempt to reach out to specific target audiences, tap into several mechanisms of radicalization, and promote other components of the group’s full-spectrum propaganda. It is argued that IS’s magazines came to play a pivotal role at the center of the organization’s ambition to develop a comprehensive and multidimensional propaganda machine. Although access to and dissemination of these magazines is illegal in many countries, they are available online. More worryingly, perhaps, these magazines now constitute a new “golden standard” that extremist groups from across the ideological spectrum will inevitably want to copy.

The Strategic Logic of Islamic State’s Full-Spectrum Propaganda

This chapter broadly canvasses the strategic logic of the Islamic State’s (IS) propaganda strategy by examining how its key constituent parts are interlocking in a sophisticated approach to communications that is multidimensional, comprehensive, and cohesive. It explains how these parts connect together to produce a full-spectrum propaganda effort that maximizes the reach, relevance, and resonance of the groups’ message, with different outputs deployed with both a singular specific purpose and a particular role in the overall synchronization of all constituent elements. By broadly mapping the constituent parts of IS’s propaganda strategy, explaining variations throughout the group’s “boom-bust” history, and analyzing their connections with IS’s military activities and territorial situation, this chapter is designed to frame the “deep dive” chapters that explore individual components of IS propaganda.