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A2 UP FRONT
Saturday 25 November 2017

Trump, Turkey’s Erdogan discuss Syrian crisis “Die Hard” for new jihadists?

By JILL COLVIN claims and did not imme- and dollars (6 trillion), to be IS recruiting with heroic tales
Associated Press diately release its own take there in the first place!” he
PALM BEACH, Fla. (AP) — on the call. wrote. By DEB RIECHMANN emerging,” Pape said.
President Donald Trump Erdogan’s office said in Trump railed during his Associated Press Intelligence and law en-
spoke Friday with Turkey’s its summary that the two campaign about the ongo- WASHINGTON (AP) — Be- forcement officials aren’t
president “about bringing leaders had discussed the ing conflicts in Afghanistan yond the slick, Hollywood- sure the approach is all
peace to the mess that I in- Syrian crisis and other re- and Iraq but has boasted style cinematics, the Is- that new. They say IS has
herited in the Middle East” gional issues during their about progress under his lamic State is targeting been using any method
before hitting the links with phone call Friday, and that watch in recent months. Western recruits with vid- that works to recruit West-
Tiger Woods and pro golfer they also discussed ties be- Trump has used the $6 tril- eos suggesting they, too, erners. Other terrorism
Dustin Johnson. tween Turkey and the Unit- lion figure to describe can be heroes like Bruce researchers think IS’ mes-
During the call between ed States. U.S. spending on Middle Willis’ character in “Die sage is still firmly rooted in
U.S. and Turkish leaders, Their talk came days after East conflicts, though fact Hard.” religious extremism.
Turkish Foreign Minister Erdogan attended a trilat- checkers have said the That’s the conclusion Rita Katz, director of SITE
Mevlut Cavusoglu claimed, eral meeting with the Rus- number is only partially ac- of The Chicago Project Intelligence Group, which
on Security and Threats, tracks messaging by mili-
which analyzed some tant groups, agrees that
1,400 videos released IS makes strong, visual
by IS between 2013 and appeals resembling Hol-
2016. Researchers who lywood movies and video
watched and cata- games, making its me-
logued them all said there dia operation more suc-
is more to the recruitment cessful than al-Qaida’s.
effort than just sophisticat- And IS videos can attract
ed videography, and it’s hero wannabes, she said.
not necessarily all about “However, these features
Islam. of IS media are only assets
Instead, Robert Pape, to a core message it uses
who directs the secu- to recruit,” Katz said. “At
rity center, said the ex- the foundation of IS re-
tremist group is targeting cruitment propaganda is
Westerners — especially not so much the promise
recent Muslim converts to be a Hollywood-esque
— with videos that fol- hero, but a religious hero.
low, nearly step-by-step, There is a big difference
a screenwriter’s standard between the two.” When
blueprint for heroic story- a fighter sits in front of a
telling. camera and calls for at-
“It’s the heroic screenplay tacks, Katz said, he will
Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan speaks with people after Friday prayers at a mosque journey, the same thing likely frame it as revenge
inside his presidential palace in Ankara, Turkey, Friday, Nov. 24. 2017. Erdogan’s office says the that’s in Wonder Woman, for Muslims killed or op-
Turkish leader has discussed the Syrian crisis and other regional issues with U.S. President Donald where you have some- pressed somewhere in
Trump. one who is learning his or the world. The message
(Pool via AP) her own powers through is designed to depict any
the course of their reluc- terror attack in that nation
Trump said the United sian and Iranian leaders in curate, since it falls on the tant journey to be hero,” as justified and allow the
States would no longer sup- Sochi, Russia, to promote high end of analysts’ esti- Pape said. attacker to die as a mar-
ply arms to Syrian Kurdish a peaceful settlement in mates and includes future The project at the Uni- tyr, she said. The promise
fighters. Syria. costs, such as future medi- versity of Chicago sepa- of religious martyrdom is
Cavusoglu was in Turkish Relations between NATO cal care and disability ben- rately has assembled a powerful to anybody re-
President Recep Tayyip Er- allies Turkey and the United efits as well as nation-build- database of people who gardless of whether they
dogan’s office during the States have soured over a ing costs. have been indicted in the are rich or poor, happy or
call. number of issues, including Trump also tweeted that United States for activi- unhappy, steeped in reli-
Turkey considers the Kurd- U.S. support to Syrian Kurd- after his call he would be ties related to IS. Thirty-six gion or not at all, she said.
ish Syrian fighters, known by ish fighters which Ankara “heading over to Trump percent were recent con- Pape said he knows he’s
the initials YPG, to be terror- considers to be terrorists National Golf Club, Jupiter, verts to Islam and did not challenging conven-
ists because of their affilia- because of their links to to play golf (quickly) with come from established tional wisdom when he
tion with outlawed Kurdish outlawed Kurdish rebels in Tiger Woods and Dustin Muslim communities, ac- says Westerners are be-
rebels in Turkey. Turkey. Johnson. cording to the project. ing coaxed to join IS ranks
A U.S. decision to arm the The leaders also called on Then back to Mar-a-Lago Eighty-three percent not because of religious
fighters soured relations be- other countries to provide for talks on bringing even watched IS videos, the beliefs, but because of
tween the two NATO allies. humanitarian aid, clear Syr- more jobs and companies project said. The group’s the group’s message of
“Mr. Trump clearly stated ian territory of mines and back to the USA!” success in using heroic personal empowerment
that he had given clear in- restore vital infrastructure In a break from the practice storytelling is prompt- and Western concepts
structions and that the YPG destroyed by the war. of past administrations, the ing copycats, Pape said. of individualism. How else
won’t be given arms and In a series of morning Trump White House rarely The research shows al- can one explain West-
that this nonsense should tweets from Florida, Trump discloses when the presi- Qaida’s Syria affiliate has ern attackers’ loose con-
have ended a long time said he’d be calling Erdo- dent is golfing, let alone been mimicking IS’ heroic nections to Islam, or their
ago,” Cavusoglu said. gan to discuss the situation whom he golfs with during narrative approach in scarce knowledge of IS’s
The White House did not im- in the Middle East. frequent trips to courses he its own recruitment films. strict, conservative Sharia
mediately respond to ques- “I will get it all done, but owns in Florida, New Jersey “We have a pattern that’s law, he asked.q
tions about Cavusoglu’s what a mistake, in lives and Virginia.q