THE ECHO OF TERROR. IDEOLOGY AND PROPAGANDA IN JIHADI TERRORISM Talk of terrorism is tantamount to talk of communication. Violence and propaganda have been joined at the hip through the history of terrorism. Technological progress and the “demands” of the “information society” have led such organizations to give pride of place and seek an ever more sophisticated approach to communication. Al Qaeda is a prime example of this phenomenon, to the point that it views the “media jihad” as its core mission. This book offers readers the keys to understanding why it is that propaganda has become the cornerstone of the strategy of new terrorism. Over the course of the book’s pages, readers will grow to understand the ideological bedrock of global jihadism, why its leaders have made a firm commitment to “information operations”, alongside a detailed breakdown of the key historical episodes that have formed its propaganda strategy. This book brings together the fascinating conclusions drawn from an analysis of more than two thousand audio tapes, videos, letters and websites created by jihadi outfits, the contents of which (many translated into Spanish for the very first time) offer a response to a host of unsettling questions: do terrorist communiques have a hidden message? Who are they targeted at? How do they manage to manipulate their target audience? What sort of relations are struck up between terrorists and the mass media? How has the Internet changed the way such groups communicate? How can terrorist propaganda be fought?