Critical media monitoring

1-- Al Arabiya

The escalating attacks on Shiite Mosques in both Saudi Arabia and Kuwait are a sign of the escalating tensions in the Gulf region. Eyad noted that the current ISIS activities are a direct result of the Khomeini set revolution sowing seeds of extremism in the region. Attacks such as the Tunisia attacks are attributable to the escalating bitterness within the country’s hard-line religious communities. These hard line communities are not isolated to predominantly Muslim communities but also in countries such as the UK, Australia, France, and the USA where some sections of the Muslim community feels isolated and discriminated. As such, Al-Arabiya has reported several incidences of western fighters joining ISIS. For example, Al-Arabiya reports teen girls moving from western countries to marry ISIS jihadists. According to the reports, ISIS promises these jihadists’ wives numerous goodies to woo them. As such, the greatest fight is to fight the ideology that is spreading rapidly.

It is worth noting the Gulf ministers’ resolution to fight ISIS. According to Al-Arabiya (3rd July), the interior ministers of the Gulf states vowed to take a united stand against the string of deadly bombing targeting Shiite mosques. The move is very important to the fight against ISIS. The ministers “underscored the importance of coordination and cooperation in all measures in confronting the epidemic.” The declaration is important for the US-led coalition. It provides an opportunity to fight radicalization in the Gulf region and establishing stability in the region.

Al-Arabiya provides credible information about the persistent ISIS bombing in both Syria and Iraq. The car bombing and suicide attacks indicate a deviation from ISIS strategy of confrontation. By targeting soft spots such mosques and beaches, ISIS is focused on spreading fear in the region.

2- Al Jazeera

Al-Jazeera continues to offer a detailed coverage of ISIS and global efforts to fight the group. The main themes and tone of the report has not remained relatively the same with the majority of the reports and articles focusing on the “Gulf region” perspective. According to Al-Jazeera correspondents in the region, the unrelenting efforts to fight the terrorism in the region have not borne fruits as expected. The correspondence noted that ISIS no longer use a centralized command but focuses on recruiting as many jihadists as possible. The l main aim is to recruit as many sympathizers and radicalized individuals as possible to conduct random attacks to “presumed” enemies of the caliphate. ISIS recruitment strategies make great use of the internet and social media to recruit “susceptible” youths. Consequently, countries allied to the US strategy needs to wage a different kind of war. They should focus on fighting the ideology and addressing the factors driving radicalization and emergence of extremist groups within their borders. The internet provides a globalized and cyber-friendly environment that makes it is easy for ISIS to rally these extremist groups and sympathizers to conduct attacks anywhere at any time.

Hamish (30th June) inquires whether ISIS has won the psychological game. He noted that “it is a terrible world in which decapitation is so routine it becomes nearly mundane, and mass killing executions fail to shock.” The remark points to the fact that the beheading of purported spies and enemies no longer grab international attention as they did before. However, the recent attacks on three different states may serve a different purpose. According to Hamish, “this actions might spell the beginning of the end of ISIS larger psychological battle.” He notes that the action may unite those who oppose the group and mark the fall of the group. The remarks can also be analyzed in different context. In the past weeks, the world has seen increased attacks on Islamic countries by ISIS. Most importantly, ISIS has attacked Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and issued warning to Qatar and Bahrain. By doing this, ISIS is courting more enemies in the region whose provide a strategic opportunity for the US-led coalition to defeat the terrorist group.

4- CNN News

CNN is one of the leading media house that has been on the front line of reporting ISIS activities. The current analysis focuses on Amanpour coverage of the group and it largely consists of video and expert analysis. Amanpour notes that ISIS has won the ideological war, and it is inspiring individual jihadists globally. She proceeds to note that it is illogical to fight ISIS in Iraq and fail to fight ISIS in Syria. The coalition should understand that the caliphate extends beyond the region. The terrorist group is inspiring a kind of group revolution by inspiring youths in different parts of the globe. As such, the US-led coalition and the international community should not treat ISIS as a local but understand its ability to appeal and inspire jihadists globally. CNN military analyst noted that the international community must go to the “head” and solve the civil crises in Syria and Libya. It is also essential to monitor ISIS activities in countries such as Egypt, Yemen, Afghanistan and other unstable countries in the region. CNN also explores in depth the recent attacks on Kuwait, France, and Tunisia. The terrorist group has managed to coordinate some successful attacks on these countries. The attacks are a clear indication of the threat the group expanding gain.

Another common theme is the ISIS spreading its ideology. CNN has several about several western fighters joining ISIS. According to FBI, the number of extremists and west wing radicalize is increasing in the country. US Republican congresswoman noted that ISIS is spreading with the speed of broadband. Despite the terrorist group facing intense resistance in Syria, it has managed to win sympathizers who are ready to fight for their country.

5- NBC News

NBC News focus is largely about ISIS potential threat to US and US allies in the Gulf region particularly Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Qatar and other pro-US countries in the region. Additionally, the attack on Tunisia, France, and Kuwait have grabbed major highlights in the media house. Finally, NBC News has not relented reporting ISIS atrocities in the region, the spreading ISIL ideology and the destruction of artifacts in the region. A large proportion of the media items in the past five days have focused on the global reaction to the last weekend attacks on Tunisia beach. As noted earlier, the attacks come one year after the declaration of the Caliphate. Cassandra and Ammar (2nd July) explores the one year of Caliphate existence. They note that there is little to celebrate in the fight against ISIS. The head of HIS terrorism Insurgency Center noted that “it has been a great year for ISIS.” Despite the stepped up counterterrorism and counterinsurgency global efforts, it is evident that ISIS have continued to attack unabated. The success is because a large number of terrorists and armed groups and individuals continue to perpetrate violence in the name of the group. For example, Boko Haram in Nigeria continues to commit atrocities in Northern Nigeria. The armed group had already pledged allegiance to ISIS. Additionally, “the current US airstrike strategy is a big failure,” noted Cassandra and Ammar. There is poor coordination between the Iraq military and those conducting the attacks. For example, during the capture of Ramadi, it was possible to counter the attack by airstrikes. However, there was little airstrike support making it possible for the large group of the insurgent to overrun the Iraq military.

6-- Fox News

ISIS storyline continues in Fox News. Fox News has been on the front line describing Western-led strategies to fight the group and its threat to internal security. Christian Whiton, a former senior adviser to the State Department, explains why drone strikes will not succeed in the fight against ISIS. He noted that drone strikes were only effective at destroying strategic infrastructure or killing target leaders. Most of the attacks do not weaken ISIS as previously though because ISIS does not maintain a centralized command center. A similar analysis of the US drone strategy is also criticized by Chuck, a military analyst. Chuck remarks that the US strategy is a big failure, and only ground troop can help repel the ground. He noted that the current Iraq military cannot be entrusted the responsibility of fighting ISIS alone. The military lack the necessary motivation while ISIS boasts of highly trained fighters. He noted that some of the ISIS fighters were trained by the USA and as such they have the necessary military knowledge to sustain the group. The US strategy has been blamed by different quarters. For example, Jim Carter has criticized the strategy and The Middle East foreign policy as mere “appeasement” that creates dragon sectarian groups. The policy is strengthening sectarian movements and offering little support for to stabilize the region that does not promise any solution in the recent future.

7- Reuters

Reuters assume a similar tone to CNN, Fox News and NBC News in its coverage of ISIS. In the past five days, Reuter’s ISIs reports and videos rotate around the recent attacks on “non-traditional” targets. Fox News journalists ask why ISIS is busy attacking Islamic states. The report indicates that ISIS may lack operational cells in most of these countries but has a lot of sympathizers. He gives the example of the recent attacks in Egypt, Libya, and Tunisia. Min Egypt and Tunisia, the attacks were carried out by self-declared supporters of ISIS. ISIS may not have an operational base in Egypt, but it has managed to sell its ideologies to some extremist. Local situations in countries such as Egypt and Libya provide ideal group upon which Islamic terrorist groups can thrive. As such, the fight against ISIS should not be localized to the Gulf region only. It is also interesting to observe keenly the recent attack on Israel which the Hamas claimed responsibility. Israel has blamed Egypt for allowing Hamas and other pro-ISIS groups to attack its soil. A coalition between the Hamas and ISIS would pose a great security threat to Israel and Egypt. Additionally, the continued oppression and discrimination of the Muslim Brotherhood makes Egypt more volatile and susceptible to more attack. The attack on Israel should not be taken lightly because ISIS has warned it will turn Gaza into a “fiefdom” or part of the caliphate.

Reuters also highlights some progress is recruiting Sunni fighters. In the past, the mistrust between Sunnis and Shiites has made it challenging for the US to train Sunni as ground fighters. The Pentagon has in the past acknowledged that it is hard to entice Sunni to fight alongside the Shiite-led government. As such, it has been an obstacle to supporting the fight against ISIS. However according to Pentagon sources, approximately 500 Sunni fighters have been recruited and trained. The Iraq government seems to have also realized the importance of working with Sunni tribesmen fighters. According to Reuters, the Iraq government appear “invested” quickly providing arms for the Sunni and directing funds to improve base facilities for them.

Overall coverage

It is evident that ISIS remains a great threat to internal security and the stability of the region. The current media coverage indicates ISIS is using the same strategies of fear, intimidation and threat to rule the captured cities. The group continues to rely on social media and the internet to spread its ideology globally. The spread of ISIS ideologies is inspiring extremists and other radical groups into wage violence on the behalf of the group.

Carolyn Morgan is the author of this paper. A senior editor at MeldaResearch.Com in paper college 24/7. If you need a similar paper you can place your order from custom nursing papers.