Frame Wars. The Effects of Frame Alignment Processes on al-Qaeda’s and Islamic State’s Contest for Resonance: A Comparative Frame Analysis.

Abstract

In 2013, the world shook by the sudden announcement of what was momentarily thought to be a ‘new’ jihadi group: Islamic State. Islamic State destroyed boundaries of cruelty and went beyond the imaginable. It also drew away attention from al-Qaeda, who had been the flag carrier of global jihadism for over a decade. As Islamic State continues to impose onto the world its view of a global war between Muslims and non-believers, al-Qaeda’s relative salience and credibility slowly declined. This study focuses on how both organizations fight for resonance in a reciprocal framing contest, and how they manipulate processes of frame alignment to link its diagnostic, prognostic, and motivational narratives to their intended audiences. The study’s results are based on extensive primary data, much of which had as of yet not been subjected to systematic academically scrutiny. It finds that Islamic State succeeds in amplifying its own frames, inter alia by actively discredting al-Qaeda’s. Islamic State constructs its frames based on direct readings of local culture and experiences. Where its frames do not find resonance, Islamic State enforces them with brutality. Al-Qaeda meanwhile attempts to return the concept of jihad to a scholarly interpretation and gradually loses centrality in the global jihadist movement.