Summary: About the interview: Mr. Tobias Brandt, a Brent Scowcroft Award Fellow at the Aspen Strategy Group and IWP alumnus, spoke with IWP about the importance of countering ideological support for terrorism; the narratives used by militant Islamists in their propaganda efforts; the best arguments we can make against terrorist propaganda; and why this topic is important today. About the speaker: Tobias Brandt is a Brent Scowcroft Award Fellow at the Aspen Strategy Group, a policy program of the Aspen Institute in Washington, D.C. He recently completed his Master’s Degree in Statecraft and International Affairs at the Institute of World Politics, graduating as Salutatorian of the class of 2019. Throughout his studies, Mr. Brandt specialized in U.S. foreign policy towards the Middle East, terrorism, and the transatlantic relationship. In his final semester at IWP, he wrote an Honors Thesis on “Pushing Back Terrorist Propaganda and Countering Ideological Support for Militant Islamism.” Originally from Germany, Mr. Brandt received a Bachelor’s Degree in Middle Eastern Studies from the University of Hamburg, where his studies focused on al-Qaida’s propaganda strategy. Our conversation today deals with the topic of his Honors Thesis – counter-terrorist messaging strategy.
