Analysis: Al-Qaeda's Media Campaign
Council on Foreign Relations
May 12, 2006
Prepared by: Eben Kaplan
The information revolution has given voice to grassroots political movements across the world. Discrete individuals sharing a common cause can connect in cyberspace and coordinate their efforts to affect change in the world around them. Generally this has been viewed as a positive phenomenon, serving the interests of democracy and free speech. Yet modern communications have also helped fuel the rise of terrorism, as described in this CFR Background Q&A.
In its annual Country Reports on Terrorism, released last month, the U.S. State Department included a new chapter on 'terrorist safe havens' (PDF). Topping the list was the Internet, which the report says "has empowered the enemy with the ability to produce and sustain its own public media outlets." Testifying before the U.S. House Intelligence Committee on May 4, RAND counterterrorism expert Bruce Hoffman said the weapons of terrorism are no longer simply guns and bombs but now include now include email accounts and Internet access.
The Intelligence panel's hearing provided a rare public glimpse (VOA) into the U.S. government's activities monitoring terrorist websites. Congressmen heard testimony from members of a Pentagon team responsible for monitoring more than 5,000 jihadi websites (MSNBC). Though these sites serve a variety of aims, one of their major functions, counterterrorism experts say, is propaganda and recruitment. For instance, Pentagon experts said video games available on Islamist websites allow players as young as seven to pretend to be holy warriors battling U.S. troops (Reuters).
Read the rest of this article on the cfr.org website.
Copyright 2006 by the Council on Foreign Relations. This material is republished on GlobalSecurity.org with specific permission from the cfr.org. Reprint and republication queries for this article should be directed to cfr.org.
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