Guidelines for a US Counterpropaganda Strategy to Defeat Al-Qaeda Recruiting

This study evaluates the counterpropaganda strategy to defeat al-Qaeda recruiting and suggests new strategy guidelines based on an analysis of historical case studies. The author evaluates the counterpropaganda campaigns during WWI, WWII, and the Cold War in terms of ideology and purpose, context, target audiences, organization, media techniques, and effects and evaluation. The conclusion is five guidelines distilled from the case studies for a new counterpropaganda strategy. There are fundamental problems with the current US approach to al-Qaeda counterpropaganda strategy. Two related problems are the current organizational structure and policy for counterpropaganda. The US must adopt a counterpropaganda strategy that disaggregates al-Qaeda organizations and focuses on regional audiences susceptible to al-Qaeda influences. Furthermore, the US needs to adopt a cognitive approach to counterpropaganda.