The themes and peculiarities of the Islamic State’s propaganda

The propaganda of the Islamic State utilizes a number of complex themes in order to radicalize and recruit adherents to the organization which has been demonstrably unique compared to other ostensibly similar extremist groups. In a content analysis, the primary sources of the Islamic State’s publications were studied to determine the nature of the major themes and the frequency of this use. Once identified, interviews were conducted with professionals involved in de-radicalization or counterterrorism efforts to ascertain the impact on individuals from those overarching themes. Further, Coalition Information-Related Capabilities doctrine was used as an analytical framework to analyze the Islamic State’s implementation of propaganda, as well as to help feed recommendations to counter Islamic State narratives. This study’s findings suggest that while there are numerous factors that can lead to radicalization from the Islamic State’s propaganda, there are a number of pathways to mitigate the efficacy of the identified themes. Keywords: Islamic State, propaganda, radicalization, violent extremism

Author dc:creator

• Nemecek, Niall

Advisor dc:contributor.advisor

• Oates, Lauryn

Identifier URI

http://dx.doi.org/10.25316/IR-19037

OAI record oai:identifier

https://www.viurrspace.ca/server/oai/request?verb=GetRecord&metadataPrefix=dim&identifier=oai%3Anull%3A10613%2F27328