ABSTRACT
Over the past 20 years, the frontlines in the fight against extremism have extended across the globe, leaving few corners untouched. Simultaneously, there has been a parallel battle in the information domain to shape opinions and change behaviors. Terrorists and other violent extremist organizations (VEOs) understand the importance of the information domain in their strategies and have leveraged 21st-century media and digital communications innovations to disseminate their propaganda instantly around the globe. VEOs must instill fear by threatening and using violence while also generating appeal by cultivating a moderate image to drive support. VEOs have advantages over governments in information domain operations due to the inherently dispersed and distributed nature of the environment, which complicates efforts to effectively combat the threat.
