DOCTOR of PHILOSOPHY Government Communication And

Total Page:16

File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb

DOCTOR of PHILOSOPHY Government Communication And DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY Government Communication and Terrorist Organizations: Towards a Concept of “Crisis Communication” in reaction to 21st Century Islamic Terrorist Attacks for Western Governments Hamm, Dominik Award date: 2019 Awarding institution: Queen's University Belfast Link to publication Terms of use All those accessing thesis content in Queen’s University Belfast Research Portal are subject to the following terms and conditions of use • Copyright is subject to the Copyright, Designs and Patent Act 1988, or as modified by any successor legislation • Copyright and moral rights for thesis content are retained by the author and/or other copyright owners • A copy of a thesis may be downloaded for personal non-commercial research/study without the need for permission or charge • Distribution or reproduction of thesis content in any format is not permitted without the permission of the copyright holder • When citing this work, full bibliographic details should be supplied, including the author, title, awarding institution and date of thesis Take down policy A thesis can be removed from the Research Portal if there has been a breach of copyright, or a similarly robust reason. If you believe this document breaches copyright, or there is sufficient cause to take down, please contact us, citing details. Email: [email protected] Supplementary materials Where possible, we endeavour to provide supplementary materials to theses. This may include video, audio and other types of files. We endeavour to capture all content and upload as part of the Pure record for each thesis. Note, it may not be possible in all instances to convert analogue formats to usable digital formats for some supplementary materials. We exercise best efforts on our behalf and, in such instances, encourage the individual to consult the physical thesis for further information. Download date: 28. Sep. 2021 Dominik Hamm [email protected] Dominik Ernst Hamm (BSc, MA) Government Communication and Terrorist Organizations: Towards a Concept of “Crisis Communication” in reaction to 21st Century Islamic Terrorist Attacks for Western Governments PhD (Politics) Thesis School of History, Anthropology, Philosophy and Politics Belfast, June 2019 Dominik Hamm [email protected] Abstract Government Communication and Terrorist Organizations: Towards a Concept of “Crisis Communication” in reaction to 21st Century Islamic terrorist attacks for Western Governments This thesis addresses the following question: how do and how should Western governments communicate the threat of terrorism, the nature of terrorist activities and their impact on their populations? The main goal behind answering this question is to find out how statements after the most significant Islamic terrorist threats and attacks were influenced by and did influence the socio- political narratives in the UK, France and Germany. This is important as political reactions to terrorist attacks often lead to longer lasting changes than the actual attacks themselves. Political statements are usually the first publicly noticeable action taken and can help to fill a vacuum developed through the uncertainty after unfamiliar events. This systematic comparative analysis of statements from political leaders from the three most influential European states contributes to the existing academic literature in the fields of political communication and counterterrorism as it shows how different cultural norms, political changes and demographic developments affect the content of political statements in reaction to Islamic terrorist threats and attacks. In this thesis, a profound foundation for the systematic analysis of these statements is laid by reconstructing the broader socio-political contexts that existed around the times the statements analysed were first given and then breaking the communication processes down to the different aspects involved in disseminating the message. These aspects are based on Lasswell’s Communication Model and include sender, message, medium, receiver and feedback. The core aspect is the message, which is analysed by using Narrative Analysis focusing on content, terminology and Social Actors. The central argument is that even though different political structures, socio-political contexts and cultural norms influence the basic settings of statements given by the political leaders of the UK, France and Germany and reactions to them by members of the public, demographic changes and an ever faster globalisation have a strong and similar effect on all three countries. Thus, demographic changes and globalisation at an unprecedented pace have contributed to 1 Dominik Hamm [email protected] changes in broader political narratives that made it more difficult for leaders of centrist governments to find a political balance that prevents movements of supporters to the right in the political spectrum. This challenge in political communication strongly affected the content of the statements analysed. The systematic analysis conducted in the thesis shows that, as long as they are communicated in a way that fits inside current socio-political frames with consideration of the broader normative contexts that define what is appropriate in times of threat and uncertainty, aspects such as awareness of counterterror and domestic political intentions, timing, credibility in the broader political context, content related aspects such as root causes of Islamic terrorist threats and attacks, the consideration of demographic changes and the length of statements can have direct impacts on the efficacy of statements in reactions to Islamic terrorist threats or attacks. 2 Dominik Hamm [email protected] Table of contents Acknowledgements ...................................................................................................... 5 List of abbreviations ..................................................................................................... 6 Definitions .................................................................................................................... 7 1. Introduction .............................................................................................................. 9 2. Literature review .................................................................................................... 16 3. Methodology .......................................................................................................... 27 4. Terrorist attacks and Government Statements in response .................................... 37 a. United Kingdom ..................................................................................................... 37 i. London bombings 07/07/2005 ........................................................................ 37 1. Political and Social Context ....................................................................... 37 2. Narrative Analysis of Political Statement .................................................. 43 3. Analysis of public reactions ....................................................................... 54 4. Conclusion .................................................................................................. 55 ii. Manchester Arena bombing 22/05/2017 ........................................................ 56 1. Political and Social Context ....................................................................... 56 2. Narrative Analysis of Political Statement .................................................. 61 3. Analysis of public reactions ....................................................................... 70 4. Conclusion .................................................................................................. 72 iii. London Bridge attack 03/06/2017 ................................................................ 73 1. Political and Social Context ....................................................................... 73 2. Narrative Analysis of Political Statement .................................................. 76 3. Analysis of public reactions ....................................................................... 83 4. Conclusion .................................................................................................. 85 iv. Comparative Analysis - United Kingdom ..................................................... 86 b. France ..................................................................................................................... 93 i. Île de France attacks – 07/01/2015 – 09/01/2015 ........................................... 93 1. Political and Social Context ....................................................................... 93 2. Narrative Analysis of Political Statements ................................................ 98 3. Analysis of public reactions ..................................................................... 104 4. Conclusion ................................................................................................ 109 ii. November Paris attacks 13/11/2015 ............................................................ 110 1. Political and Social Context ..................................................................... 110 2. Narrative Analysis of Political Statement ................................................ 117 3 Dominik Hamm [email protected] 3. Analysis of public reactions ..................................................................... 124 4. Conclusion ...............................................................................................
Recommended publications
  • The Importance of Narrative in Responding to Hate Incidents Following ‘Trigger’ Events
    The Importance of Narrative in Responding to Hate Incidents Following ‘Trigger’ Events November 2018 Kim Sadique, James Tangen Anna Perowne Acknowledgements The authors wish to thank all of the participants in this research who provided real insight into this complex area. Researchers: Kim Sadique, Senior Lecturer in Community & Criminal Justice Dr James Tangen, Senior Lecturer (VC2020) in Criminology Anna Perowne, Research Assistant All correspondence about this report should be directed to: Kim Sadique Head of Division of Community and Criminal Justice (Acting) De Montfort University The Gateway, Leicester, LE1 9BH Email: [email protected] | Tel: +44 (0) 116 2577832 To report a hate crime, please contact Tell MAMA Email: [email protected] | Tel: +44 (0) 800 456 1226 www.tellmamauk.org Twitter: @TellMAMAUK Facebook: www.facebook.com/tellmamauk This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. To view a copy of the license, visit: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/legalcode 1 Contents Foreword ........................................................................................................... 3 Executive Summary .......................................................................................... 4 Recommendations ............................................................................................ 5 Introduction ....................................................................................................... 6 Aims & Objectives .........................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • France 2016 International Religious Freedom Report
    FRANCE 2016 INTERNATIONAL RELIGIOUS FREEDOM REPORT Executive Summary The constitution and the law protect the right of individuals to choose, change, and practice their religion. The government investigated and prosecuted numerous crimes and other actions against religious groups, including anti-Semitic and anti- Muslim violence, hate speech, and vandalism. The government continued to enforce laws prohibiting face coverings in public spaces and government buildings and the wearing of “conspicuous” religious symbols at public schools, which included a ban on headscarves and Sikh turbans. The highest administrative court rejected the city of Villeneuve-Loubet’s ban on “clothes demonstrating an obvious religious affiliation worn by swimmers on public beaches.” The ban was directed at full-body swimming suits worn by some Muslim women. ISIS claimed responsibility for a terrorist attack in Nice during the July 14 French independence day celebration that killed 84 people without regard for their religious belief. President Francois Hollande condemned the attack as an act of radical Islamic terrorism. Prime Minister (PM) Manuel Valls cautioned against scapegoating Muslims or Islam for the attack by a radical extremist group. The government extended a state of emergency until July 2017. The government condemned anti- Semitic, anti-Muslim, and anti-Catholic acts and continued efforts to promote interfaith understanding through public awareness campaigns and by encouraging dialogues in schools, among local officials, police, and citizen groups. Jehovah’s Witnesses reported 19 instances in which authorities interfered with public proselytizing by their community. There were continued reports of attacks against Christians, Jews, and Muslims. The government, as well as Muslim and Jewish groups, reported the number of anti-Semitic and anti-Muslim incidents decreased by 59 percent and 58 percent respectively from the previous year to 335 anti-Semitic acts and 189 anti-Muslim acts.
    [Show full text]
  • PERSPECTIVES on TERRORISM Volume 11, Issue 5
    ISSN 2334-3745 Volume V, Issue 5 October 2017 PERSPECTIVES ON TERRORISM Volume 11, Issue 5 Table of Contents Welcome from the Editors......................................................................................................1 Articles Countering Violent Extremism in Prisons: A Review of Key Recent Research and Critical Research Gaps.........................................................................................................................2 by Andrew Silke and Tinka Veldhuis The New Crusaders: Contemporary Extreme Right Symbolism and Rhetoric..................12 by Ariel Koch Exploring the Continuum of Lethality: Militant Islamists’ Targeting Preferences in Europe....................................................................................................................................24 by Cato Hemmingby Research Notes On and Off the Radar: Tactical and Strategic Responses to Screening Known Potential Terrorist Attackers................................................................................................................41 by Thomas Quiggin Resources Terrorism Bookshelf.............................................................................................................50 Capsule Reviews by Joshua Sinai Bibliography: Terrorist Organizations: Cells, Networks, Affiliations, Splits......................67 Compiled and selected by Judith Tinnes Bibliography: Life Cycles of Terrorism..............................................................................107 Compiled and selected by Judith
    [Show full text]
  • The Jihadi Threat: ISIS, Al-Qaeda, and Beyond
    THE JIHADI THREAT ISIS, AL QAEDA, AND BEYOND The Jihadi Threat ISIS, al- Qaeda, and Beyond Robin Wright William McCants United States Institute of Peace Brookings Institution Woodrow Wilson Center Garrett Nada J. M. Berger United States Institute of Peace International Centre for Counter- Terrorism Jacob Olidort The Hague Washington Institute for Near East Policy William Braniff Alexander Thurston START Consortium, University of Mary land Georgetown University Cole Bunzel Clinton Watts Prince ton University Foreign Policy Research Institute Daniel Byman Frederic Wehrey Brookings Institution and Georgetown University Car ne gie Endowment for International Peace Jennifer Cafarella Craig Whiteside Institute for the Study of War Naval War College Harleen Gambhir Graeme Wood Institute for the Study of War Yale University Daveed Gartenstein- Ross Aaron Y. Zelin Foundation for the Defense of Democracies Washington Institute for Near East Policy Hassan Hassan Katherine Zimmerman Tahrir Institute for Middle East Policy American Enterprise Institute Charles Lister Middle East Institute Making Peace Possible December 2016/January 2017 CONTENTS Source: Image by Peter Hermes Furian, www . iStockphoto. com. The West failed to predict the emergence of al- Qaeda in new forms across the Middle East and North Africa. It was blindsided by the ISIS sweep across Syria and Iraq, which at least temporarily changed the map of the Middle East. Both movements have skillfully continued to evolve and proliferate— and surprise. What’s next? Twenty experts from think tanks and universities across the United States explore the world’s deadliest movements, their strate- gies, the future scenarios, and policy considerations. This report reflects their analy sis and diverse views.
    [Show full text]
  • The Role of the Online News Media in Reporting ISIS Terrorist Attacks In
    The Role of the Online News Media in Reporting ISIS Terrorist Attacks in Europe (2014-present): the Case of BBC Online Agne Vaitekenaite A dissertation submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements of the Master of Arts in International Journalism COMM5600 Dissertation and Research Methods School of Media and Communication University of Leeds 29 August 2018 Word count: 14,955 ABSTRACT The numbers of ISIS (Islamic State of Iraq and Syria) terrorist attacks have risen in Europe since 2014. Consequently, these incidents have particularly attracted the media attention and received a great amount of news coverage. The study has examined the role of that the online news media in reporting ISIS terrorist attacks during the period between 2014-present, based on the fact, that the online news has overtaken the print media and the television as the most popular source of the news within the last few years (Newman et al., 2018). Hence, this allows it to reach and affect the highest numbers of audience. The research has focused on the case study of the British Broadcasting Corporation news website BBC Online coverage on the Manchester Arena bombing, which was caused by ISIS. The study has investigated the news coverage throughout 29 weeks since the date of the terrorist attack, what includes the period between the 22nd May 2017 and the 11th December 2017. This time slot has provided the qualitative study with 155 articles, what were analysed while conducting the thematic analysis. The findings indicated that some themes are dominant in the content of the online news media coverage on ISIS terrorist attacks.
    [Show full text]
  • From Criminals to Terrorists and Back?
    FROM CRIMINALS TO TERRORISTS AND BACK? KICK-OFF REPORT www.globsec.org AUTHORS Kacper Rekawek, Head of Defence and Security Programme, GLOBSEC Policy Institute Stanislav Matejka, Junior Research Fellow, Defence and Security Programme, GLOBSEC Policy Institute Martina Babikova, GLOBSEC Policy Institute Tomas Nagy, Research Fellow, Defence and Security Programme, GLOBSEC Policy Institute Jakub Rafay, GLOBSEC Policy Institute Design by Peter Verček, GLOBSEC The following distinguished partners were consulted in the process of preparation of this report. The sole responsibility for the content of this publication lies with the authors. • Austria - Daniela Pisoiu • Bulgaria - Rositsa Dzhekova, Nadya Stoynova • France - Olivier de France, Damien Saverot, Pierre Colomina • Germany - Matenia Sirseloudi • Greece - Eleni Fotou • Ireland - Orla Lynch • Italy - Marco Lombardi, Giovanni Giacalone, Nicolò Spagna • Netherlands - Jessica Sciarone, Bart Schuurman • Spain - Fernando Reinares, Carola García Calvo, Álvaro Vicente • United Kingdom - John Morrison, Aleksandra Łojek The project is funded under PMI IMPACT, a global grant initiative of Philip Morris International to support projects against illegal trade. GLOBSEC is fully independent in implementing the project and has editorial responsibility for all views and opinions expressed herein. CONTENTS PROJECT SUMMARY 6 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 7 FROM CRIMINALS TO TERRORISTS AND BACK? 10 INTRODUCING CRIME-TERROR NEXUS 10 RESEARCHING THE CRIME-TERROR NEXUS: CHALLENGES 12 RESEARCHING THE NEXUS: WHAT IS NEXT?
    [Show full text]
  • Intelligence Failures in Countering Islamic Terrorism: a Comparative Analysis on the Strategic Surprises of the 9/11 and the Pa
    Department of Political Science Master’s Degree in International Relations - Global Studies Chair of Geopolitical Scenarios and Political Risk Intelligence Failures in Countering Islamic Terrorism: A Comparative Analysis on the Strategic Surprises of the 9/11 and the Paris Attacks and the Exceptionality of the Italian Case SUPERVISOR CANDIDATE Prof. Giuseppe Scognamiglio Antonella Camerino Student ID: 639472 CO-SUPERVISOR Prof. Lorenzo Castellani ACCADEMIC YEAR 2019-2020 TABLE OF CONTENTS ABSTRACT…………………………………………………………………………………………5 INTRODUCTION…………………………………………………………………………………..6 CHAPTER 1: Intelligence: A Theoretical Framework 1.1 – The Intelligence Cycle………………………………………………………………….11 1.2 – Intelligence Failures…………………………………………………………………….19 1.3 – The Strategic Surprises and Surprises Attacks………………………………………….24 1.4 – The Black Swan Theory………………………………………………………………...30 CHAPTER 2: The Case of USA: The Attacks of the 9/11 2.1 – The US Intelligence Community……………………………………………………….35 2.2 – Analysis of a Terrorist Organization: Al-Qaeda………………………………………..43 2.3 – The 9/11 Attacks: Facts, Causes and Consequences……………………………………52 2.4 – The US Involvement in the Middle East: The War on Terror………………………….61 CHAPTER 3: The Case of France: The Paris Attacks of November 13 3.1 – The French Intelligence Community…………………………………………………...73 3.2 – Analysis of a Terrorist Organization: The Islamic State………………………………..80 3.3 – The Paris Attacks of November 13: Facts, Causes and Consequences………………...90 3.4 – The French Involvement in the Middle East: Opération Chammal…………………….98
    [Show full text]
  • Paris, New York, Madrid, London: the City Responds to Terror (10/18/18)
    Paris, New York, Madrid, London: The City Responds to Terror (10/18/18) 00:00:25 Alice M. Greenwald: Good evening. Welcome. My name is Alice Greenwald. I'm president and CEO of the 9/11 Memorial and Museum, and it is my pleasure to welcome all of you here this evening to tonight's program, along with any of you who are tuning in live to our web broadcast at 911memorial.org/live. As always, I am delighted to see members, museum members in the audience. We welcome you, and we encourage everyone here to consider the benefits of membership. 00:00:59 You know, the 9/11 Memorial and Museum holds a unique position within the community of sites directly impacted by terrorism. One of the unexpected outcomes of creating the Memorial and Museum is that we developed an unusual expertise in the field of memorialization that other communities now struggling in the aftermath of extreme violence have found helpful. 00:01:25 For example, in the wake of the Boston Marathon bombing, we were called upon to advise the city archivist on what to collect and how best to preserve tribute that had been left all over the city in memory of those who had been killed or injured. Our staff has provided guidance to the planners of the Oslo Government Center and Utoya Island memorials, commemorating the horrific 22 July 2011 bombing and massacre. Members of our team have worked with individuals creating a memorial in Orlando to the victims of the Pulse night club shooting.
    [Show full text]
  • 1 the Road to the Paris November 2015 and Brussels March 2016
    Paris-Brussels Attack Network Analysis – Nafees Hamid, Artis International The Road to the Paris November 2015 and Brussels March 2016 attacks By Nafees Hamid, Artis International October 2018 The report explores the natural histories of Al Qaida and ISIS members as well as their social network structures leading up the November 2015 Paris and March 2016 Brussels attacks. It also gives details of how the attacks unfolded and the current state of ISIS external operations capabilities. The information in this report is a culmination of face-to-face interviews with 1) AQ and ISIS members who were directly or peripherally involved in the events and networks described, 2) their lawyers, friends, family members, and acquaintances, 3) Belgian, French, British, and Spanish counter-terrorism police, federal prosecutors, interrogators, 4) various CVE officials, mayors, social workers, teachers, community leaders, imams, journalists, anthropologists, historians, and researchers of the places from where the networks emerged, and 5) over 10,000 pages of court documents and hundreds of pages of police files and interrogation transcripts regarding AQ and ISIS networks spanning over 20 years. Belgium Overview The small country of Belgium is located in the North West of Europe and is made up of 11.5 million people. Despite its small size, it would become the country with the highest per capita rate of foreign terrorist fighters (FTFs) venturing toward Syria. Local radical networks since the early 1990’s would carry out or facilitate attacks in many parts of Europe. Most recently, a small network of friends from the Molenbeek commune of Brussels would make up the core members of the November 2015 Paris and March 2016 Brussels attacks that took 165 lives and injured 713 others.
    [Show full text]
  • Coronavirus: Deploying the Armed Forces in the UK
    BRIEFING PAPER Number 08074, 20 March 2020 Coronavirus: Deploying the By Louisa Brooke-Holland armed forces in the UK Summary On 19 March 2020 the Government announced up to 20,000 military personnel will be put on standby to support the public services as part of a new Covid Support Force. There is a provision for armed forces personnel to be deployed on operations in the UK when asked to do so by relevant civil authorities. This may be to assist with flood relief, bomb disposal or supporting major national events like the Olympic Games. Such requests are known as “military aid to the civil authorities”. The armed forces do not maintain specific forces to assist civil authorities, as assistance is provided depending on the requirement. Here we explain how this might apply during the Coronavirus pandemic. When can the armed forces be deployed in the UK? Civil authorities take the lead in responding to any emergencies or non-military threats to the safety and security of the UK and its citizens. Government departments or civil authorities may call upon the armed forces to assist in planning for, or the response to, an emergency. This is known as Military Aid to the Civil Authorities (MACA).1 Ministerial approval is required except when life is considered to be immediately at risk. Defending the UK against military threats is distinct to MACA and is not the subject of this briefing paper. Will the UK armed forces be deployed in response to covid-19? On 19 March 2020 the Ministry of Defence (MoD) announced a new ‘Covid Support Force’ (CSF).2 The MoD has put an additional 10,000 military personnel at a higher readiness and placed Reserves on standby to support public services.
    [Show full text]
  • School of Journalism and Mass Communications, Master of Arts in Digital Media, Communication and Journalism
    ISIS & NEW MEDIA SCHOOL OF JOURNALISM AND MASS COMMUNICATIONS, MASTER OF ARTS IN DIGITAL MEDIA, COMMUNICATION AND JOURNALISM DISSERTATION Modern Terrorism: The Media Representation of ISIS’s Terrorist Activity within 2015- 2016 Papaioakeim Marianthi Supervisor: VamvakasVassilis Assistant Professor Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 2017 1 ISIS & NEW MEDIA Table of contents Introduction ................................................................................................................................................ 4 Chapter 1. Retrospection of Terrorism ...................................................................................................... 6 1.1 Definitions of Terrorism .................................................................................................................. 6 1.2 A historical Overview ...................................................................................................................... 8 1.2.1 Origins of Terrorism ..................................................................................................................... 8 1.2.2 Waves of Modern Terrorism ........................................................................................................ 9 1.3 Influential Terrorist Groups ............................................................................................................ 9 Chapter 2. The Predominant Terrorist Group ISIS: The activity of ISIS within 2015-2016 ................... 13 2.1 Paris Attacks .................................................................................................................................
    [Show full text]
  • Development of Blast Risk Assessment Framework for Financial Loss and Casualty Estimation
    Clemson University TigerPrints All Dissertations Dissertations December 2019 Development of Blast Risk Assessment Framework for Financial Loss and Casualty Estimation Paresh Chandra Poudel Clemson University, [email protected] Follow this and additional works at: https://tigerprints.clemson.edu/all_dissertations Recommended Citation Poudel, Paresh Chandra, "Development of Blast Risk Assessment Framework for Financial Loss and Casualty Estimation" (2019). All Dissertations. 2518. https://tigerprints.clemson.edu/all_dissertations/2518 This Dissertation is brought to you for free and open access by the Dissertations at TigerPrints. It has been accepted for inclusion in All Dissertations by an authorized administrator of TigerPrints. For more information, please contact [email protected]. DEVELOPMENT OF BLAST RISK ASSESSMENT FRAMEWORK FOR FINANCIAL LOSS AND CASUALTY ESTIMATION A Dissertation Presented to the Graduate School of Clemson University In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy Civil Engineering by Paresh C. Poudel December 2019 Accepted by: Dr. Weichiang Pang, Committee Chair Dr. Brandon Ross Dr. Mohammad B. Javanbarg Dr. Thomas E. Cousins ABSTRACT The entire study can be divided into four main studies. Study I presents the development of probabilistic version of popular Kingery and Bulmash (KB) blast model. The probabilistic model was developed by considering the uncertainty in the model quantified using available experimental data. The model was then applied to generate fragility curves are developed for three types of glazing under three common bombing scenarios and study 1995 Oklahoma City damage. Study II discusses on development a blast loss estimation framework for buildings where demand loads are calculated using the probabilistic blast model and capacity form seismic design.
    [Show full text]