A powerful, credible narrative?

April 1st, 2015 by Charles Cameron

Taking that a step further, I’d suggest that credible behavior on our own part, rather than the fatwas of ulema — even Abu Muhammad al-Maqdisi, let alone those who may seem obviously compromised by complicity in power — will comprise the most effective of counter-narratives.

America supported Muslims in Afghanistan against the Russians, America supported Bosniac Muslims against the Orthodox Serbs and Catholic Croats — these are the kinds of action that most clearly refute the idea that the US is at war with Muslims — as it may appear to be in the cases Bacevich listed a few months back in a WaPo op-ed:

As America’s efforts to “degrade and ultimately destroy” Islamic State militants extent into Syria, Iraq War III has seamlessly morphed into Greater Middle East Battlefield XIV. That is, Syria has become at least the 14th country in the Islamic world that U.S. forces have invaded or occupied or bombed, and in which American soldiers have killed or been killed. And that’s just since 1980.

Let’s tick them off: Iran (1980, 1987-1988), Libya (1981, 1986, 1989, 2011), Lebanon (1983), Kuwait (1991), Iraq (1991-2011, 2014-), Somalia (1992-1993, 2007-), Bosnia (1995), Saudi Arabia (1991, 1996), Afghanistan (1998, 2001-), Sudan (1998), Kosovo (1999), Yemen (2000, 2002-), Pakistan (2004-) and now Syria. Whew.

That could be viewed as a pretty devastating list.

**

Actions — as a poet, I dread to utter these words, but they seem appropriate in this context — actions (in the form of foreign policy) just may speak louder that words .

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Posted in Charles Cameron, cve, foreign policy, IO, IS, islamic world, magazine, maqdisi, narrative, propaganda, Theology, Uncategorized | 3 comments

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  1. Dave Schuler:

    April 1st, 2015 at 8:30 pm

    Sadly, I think some of those you’ve quoted have fallen victim to what might be termed “the proportions fallacy”. If war were fought the way it was 150 years ago or even 70 years ago, they might have a point.
    .
    But it isn’t. We’re in war’s third or even fourth generation. The side with the greatest numbers and the greatest productive capacity doesn’t necessarily win any more.

    It’s an age of personal empowerment. When one person can kill hundreds, thousands, or even tens of thousands where 150 years ago they might only have killed one, even one belligerent is too many.

  2. carl:

    April 2nd, 2015 at 1:18 am

    The best counter narrative will be constructed by Daesh fighters themselves when they are convinced they are losing and at the same time convinced that they are bound to die if they keep it up. Loud proclamations of religious commitment notwithstanding, when the adventurous young men see they will die and will lose, the heart tends to fade.
    .
    Of course that will require actually killing a lot more of them and taking what they have, if we can be bothered to try hard. Maybe we could hire the Chadians.

  3. Charles Cameron:

    April 2nd, 2015 at 4:11 am

    JM Berger and Jessica Stern have a worthwhile take on countering IS messaging.