Photo Credit: Hernan Pinera on Flickr
Breaking the Brand: A New Way to Dismantle Perceptions of Terror
American Security Project’s Adjunct Fellow, Matthew Freear, was featured in this month’s RUSI Newsbrief, arguing for “counter-branding” versus “counter-narratives” in the fight against terrorist branding.
In the article, Freear notes that “language and perception of terrorism matters” and governments need to begin to combat terrorist organization’s highly sophisticated branding techniques by creating an “equally sophisticated response.” First and foremost, governments must begin defining terrorism as illegitimate and highlight the separation between terrorism and Islam. In addition, Freear recommends four tactics to break down terrorists’ influence,
“Dismantle the sense of a unified globalized organization; emphasise the local character of different terrorist causes; challenge the terrorists’ reputation for success; and undermine the standing of individual militants.”
The first tactic focuses on the fluidity of terrorist organizations and the importance of dismantling the perception of a “global brotherhood of rage”. The second tactic undermines the David and Goliath narrative of terrorists against the world. The final tactics challenge the myth of effectiveness and “heroes” of terrorist groups. These tactics move away from the traditional method of simply promoting “counter-narratives,” which are reactionary and miss an opportunity to counter-brand and remain a step ahead.
For more information on the process of radicalization and methods for combating the process, see ASP’s blog for a three-part series on “Radicalization.”
