Larry D. Lauer

ISIS, Al-Qaeda, and more than 50 other extremist organizations have mastered the digital media world. Many have a simple message: “Do you have feelings of hopelessness? Are you looking for meaning in your life. If so, come fight with us. If you can’t get here grab whatever weapons you can and fight wherever you are!” They repeat that message over and over again in every way possible. And they utilize all internet and social media platforms with impressive professional sophistication.

The challenge now for nations around the world is to rise above the clutter of daily news, identify a simple counter-message of freedom, use all of these new media platforms with ongoing persistence, and repeat that simple message over and over again until it rises above the media clutter.

Simply put, the world is in a war of ideas. Intimidation and fear have already won some skirmishes. But make no mistake, constant fear mongering cannot win over a well orchestrated war. Such an ultimately hurtful message simply won’t survive a professionally designed, super-sophisticated, and relentlessly consistent internet and social media blitz with a promise of liberation.

However, establishing credibility for this promise will be absolutely essential. And it must be established at the outset, and remain anchored in reality.

It therefore seems to me that the best way to do this would be for assimilation plans to be developed for current immigrant residents in major cities around the world. Their mayors and city managers could meet to address these “planning issues” as practical problems, rather than as political or religious issues. And because of the magnitude of our current crisis, national leaders could be urged to support the outcomes of these meetings as a way to side-step dealing with party politics and never-ending national identity debates.

Extraordinary times require bold new initiatives. Relying on cities for international problem-solving admittedly is bold.  But what other choices do we have?  The next world war is one of ideas, and has already begun. Its battleground is the Internet. The weapons are new and social media platforms and tactics. And our cities are the most threatened. The West needs to mobilize quickly… and plan for a very long fight.