Tech, Time, and Jihad

On December 28th, 2015, when the Iraqi army felt confident enough of the military situation around Ramadi, the capital of Anbar province, it invited the world’s media to witness the raising of the national flag atop a central administration building. For the Iraqi government, the ejection of ISIS jihadists from Ramadi was a propaganda opportunity too good not to exploit. And valuable vision was on offer: as well as mainstream media coverage, social media buzzed with smartphone footage of the black flag of the jihadists being yanked off and thrown to the dust and the Iraqi 2008-vintage national flag waved triumphantly by a government soldier—before being fixed to the rooftop. It was a proclamation of the return to the old (new) order. Seven months earlier ISIS had dramatically taken Ramadi under the cover of a sandstorm. The opportunity for the Iraqi army to atone for what was widely seen as a national humiliation could not come quickly enough. The day after, Prime Minister Haider al Abadi landed and addressed the media, with ISIS still defending in pockets around the city and able to shoot small arms fire at his helicopter as he hovered into town. With Iraqi flag in hand Abadi proclaimed: “If 2015 was a year of liberation, 2016 will be the year of great victories, terminating the presence of Daesh (ISIS) in Iraq and Mesopotamia.” He went on to predict: “We are coming to liberate Mosul, which will be the fatal blow to Daesh (ABC News 2015).”

Political science · Terrorism, Counterterrorism, and Political Violence