Publications

A growing body of literature documents how Islamic extremist groups utilize technology to recruit potential new extremists. This back-end analysis is not matched, however, by the equally important frontend part of the process: How and why do these virtual propaganda/recruiting tools work on populations living in Western societies? Why are people susceptible to extremism while living in stable, free democracies? This paper fuses elements of cognitive psychology) specifically Siboni’s concept of the “first cognitive war”) and virtual technology with the world of countering violent extremism to explain why Western counterterrorist organizations, from governments to the military to intelligence agencies, are having difficulty battling the virtual recruitment front. The overall failure of countering violent extremism (CVE) programs across Western democracies in the face of this virtual extremist onslaught will force some uncomfortable questions to the fore about how modern democracy in the digital age might be falling short of its ideals and civic promises, especially compared to the tech-savviness of radical extremists. This failure likely means the continuing success of extremist groups who advance violent agendas and kill more innocents. It also means the most advanced democracies will continue to lose the first cognitive war to extremist groups.