The art of framing a story

Instead of air strikes, US forces and coalition allies should focus more on tactfully stifling the IS’s finances

On Sunday, November 16, 2014, the Islamic State (IS) militants released a bone-chilling video showing the severed head of an American aid worker named Peter Kassig. The group viciously claimed that they were retaliating against air strikes carried out by the United States in Syria and Iraq. Kassig was a former Army Ranger who was captured more than a year ago at a checkpoint in Syria while delivering medical supplies. Kassig’s death is unimaginably tragic. A man who was performing a noble deed, while trying to bring relief and sustenance to the Syrian people was mercilessly beheaded. It is hard to believe that we live in a day and age where these brutal medieval forms of punishment are still rampant.

American media outlets are paying homage to Kassig by discussing his life, background and duration of time in captivity. However, some news stories are framing the incident to suggest that the IS is showing signs of trepidation. Apparently, the video does not actually show Kassig being killed. Instead, the video captures the aftermath of his execution. The video is being referred to as “amateurish” in comparison with the precise attention to cinematic detail that the IS has demonstrated in previous videos of hostages being slain. News channels are quoting analysts who claim that something most likely went wrong during the production of the video. The extremists were apparently exhibiting caution because they are aware of US surveillance planes flying overhead and wanted to avoid extended exposure. Hence, the group probably did not have enough time to create a video with theatrical effects and gruesome coverage of Kassig’s beheading.

The process of framing a story is truly an art, since the grimmest outcomes can be spun into positive scenarios. Some US-based media outlets are using the poor production quality of the video to emphasise the significant impact that the US air strikes have had on IS activities. The extremist group is apparently beginning to feel like it’s under attack. Additionally, the video was reportedly aired during a time when the US and its allies are making significant headway with their air strikes. The violent nature of this recent video is considered a desperate attempt to exemplify the IS strength and instill fear in the opposition.

However, claiming that the IS is succumbing to stress due to coalition air strikes is wishful thinking. It still controls large expanses of territory in Syria and Iraq. Also, the videos of hostages being beheaded are not signs of desperation, but signs of sheer, ruthless defiance.

Air strikes alone cannot prevent the IS from killing more Iraqis and slaying more hostages. Air strikes alone cannot reduce the group’s high number of incoming recruits. Air strikes alone cannot save the women who are being kidnapped as sex slaves. Air strike coalitions recently began to attack oil wells in Iraq, which drive the IS’s far-reaching financial capabilities. Instead of solely thrashing its compounds from the air and deploying ground troops, US forces and coalition allies should focus more on tactfully stifling the group’s finances, such as its cash holdings and remaining oil businesses.

The IS forces have reportedly plundered millions of dollars from local Christians and Shiites and accumulated vast sums of money as a result. The IS is reportedly the richest terrorist group on the planet. It needs money to procure weapons, incentivise recruits and purchase other necessary equipment. Trying to garner support for coalition air strikes by finding defects in the IS’s currently released hostage video will only encourage traditional counterterrorism methods. Aside from pure military intelligence, maybe financial astuteness can prove to be more useful.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 20^th, 2014.

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