Jihadist Terrorist Use of Strategic Communication Management Techniques

Book excerpt: Since the symmetrical-global East-West conflict was decided in favor of the West, numerous asymmetrical conflicts have erupted around the globe. Jihadist terrorism has spread beyond the borders of the regions in which it had its origin and has reached a global dimension. Research and analysis of the root causes and underlying conditions, motivators and enablers of terrorism including the agitation propaganda of jihadist terrorists are vital to shaping appropriate countermeasures to the threat from Islamic terrorism. This paper looks at the jihadist use of strategic communication management techniques. The mass media and especially the Internet have become the key enablers and the main strategic communication assets for terrorists and have ensured them a favorable communication asymmetry.