Waging the "War of Ideas"

William Rosenau

ResearchPublished Feb 10, 2006

Chapter 72 of the McGraw-Hill Homeland Security Handbook addresses the important issue of the ideological differences between the United States and al-Qaida and the necessity to win the war of ideas. This chapter outlines the ideology promulgated by al-Qaida and associated terrorist groups. It examines recent attempts by the United States to combat al-Qaida's worldview and compares this effort with America's global propaganda campaign against the Soviet Union. The chapter concludes with some preliminary ideas about waging an effective counterpropaganda campaign against al-Qaida, including potential themes and approaches.

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Document Details

  • Availability: Web-Only
  • Year: 2006
  • Pages: 18
  • Document Number: RP-1218

Reprinted with permission from The McGraw-Hill Homeland Security Handbook, Chapter 72, pp. 1131-1148. Copyright © 2006 The McGraw Hill Companies, Inc.

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