[R-G] Battle against al-Qaida brand highlighted in secret paper

[Anthony Fenton]

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/aug/26/alqaida.terrorism/print

Battle against al-Qaida brand highlighted in secret paper
· Challenge to group's image as champion of victims
· Private sector PR firms may be involved in work

     * Alan Travis, home affairs editor
     * The Guardian,
     * Tuesday August 26 2008
     * Article history

[photo: Osama bin Laden, left, with his top lieutenant Egyptian Ayman  
al-Zawahiri, in one of al-Qaida's own propaganda videos]


The material being used in the global propaganda effort "to taint the  
al-Qaida brand" is designed, in the jargon of Whitehall  
counterterrorism experts, to "undermine their narrative," according to  
the classified Whitehall paper seen by the Guardian.

The research, information and communications unit (RICU) document says  
the effort is being made to "help the AQ-in-decline debate resonate"  
and says the campaign is justified as al-Qaida is the most influential  
and coherent terrorist ideology or "brand", and the threat posed to  
the UK or its interests overseas remains real and sustained.

"AQ is not the only extremist ideology of interest or concern,  
domestically or overseas. But countering the AQ threat is a  
counterterrorism priority and requires AQ-centric communications  
efforts," it adds.

The target of the campaign - the al-Qaida narrative - is seen as  
linking together genuine or perceived, commonly held concerns into a  
"narrative of grievance" that reinforces the portrayal of Muslims as  
victims of western injustice.

"It [the narrative] combines fact, fiction, emotion and religion and  
manipulates discontent about local and international issues. The  
narrative is simple, flexible and infinitely accommodating. It can be  
adapted to suit local conditions and may have a disproportionate  
influence on understanding and interpretation of local or global  
events."

RICU says it needs to be challenged to reduce the opportunity for  
terrorist exploitation of underlying grievances: "The objective is not  
to dismiss 'grievances' but undermine AQ's position as their champion:  
and violent extremism as the solution."

Its dossier, aimed mainly at embassies around the world, is described  
as "our first tailored product with key arguments exposing the theme  
'AQ is losing support'". It promises that more such packages are to  
follow.

It says: "This series of guidance alone will not fatally undermine the  
AQ narrative. But it can increase our impact against the narrative  
while we develop a bespoke and hard-hitting campaign using private  
sector resources."

The document does not spell out what it means by "private sector  
resources" but it does add in a section on its "future workstreams"  
that "we are in negotiations with several major communications  
companies to design and deliver high impact campaigns across media and  
non-media channels". This may mean private sector public relations  
companies being involved in the work.

RICU expects the Foreign Office to be the "biggest initial user" of  
this material through its embassies and consular posts but it is also  
working with other Whitehall departments to use it in wider  
discussions around terrorism, extremism or ideology.

Civil servants are urged to "push these message themes to a wide range  
of contacts".

RICU, which is based in the Home Office, has previously advised  
Whitehall officials dealing with Muslim communities not to use the  
aggressive rhetoric of the "war on terror" but instead to refer to  
violent extremism and to drop the language of the "clash of  
civilisations" when talking about the nature of the terrorist threat.

In a counterterrorism phrasebook, RICU warned those engaged in such  
work that talk of a struggle for values or a battle of ideas is often  
heard as a "confrontation/clash between civilisations/cultures".  
Instead, it suggested that talking about the idea of shared values  
works much more effectively.

Sir Richard Mottram, the former chair of the joint intelligence  
committee, in talking about the attempt to undermine the ideology of  
al-Qaida, said it had to be done without looking like government  
propaganda. "If it looks too much like government propaganda then I  
don't think people are going to listen, nor should they," he said last  
year.

Backstory

The research, information and communications unit (RICU) is a  
counterterrorism PR operation set up in 2007 within the newly created  
office of security and counterterrorism. Though based in the Home  
Office, RICU also reports to the Foreign Office and Department for  
Communities and Local Government. Its creation, Tony Blair said in  
March 2007, "marked a change in the government's approach to managing  
the terrorist threat to the UK and winning the battle for hearts and  
minds". The home secretary, Jacqui Smith, shares responsibility for  
RICU, alongside the minister for security, counterterrorism and  
police, Admiral Sir Alan West.