Islamic State: apocalyptic propaganda and paper caliphate, is the title of the conference that will be taking place this evening at 19 hrs, in the Madrid headquarters of Casa Árabe. The self-proclaimed Islamic State (EI) or Daesh is the first terrorist group in history to utilise digital communications as a decisive element in its worldwide strategy. The objective is to conquer a global and frustrated youth by means of a sophisticated digital strategy designed to transform terrorism into a popular cultural product, one that is imitable and in fashion.
A detailed analysis of this communication machinery and its apocalyptic message makes it possible to understand some of the keys to this phenomenon. International recruitment of the Daesh has managed to fascinate the more than 35.000 youths that have joined its ranks in the last few years, from dozens of countries. Javier Lesaca, a researcher from George Washington University’s School of Media and Public Affairs will be speaking about all this as will Diogo Bercito, reporter from the Brazilian newspaper Folha de São Paulo. It will be introduced by Karim Hauser, who is responsible for Casa Árabe’s Governance Area.