Countering radical terrorist ideology through psywar: lessons from the Malayan emergency

Soon after the events of 9–11, it was recognised that the U.S. and the West had to wage effective information warfare if they were to succeed in countering or containing global terrorism as a result of radical Islamism. The West, however, has failed in this endeavour, epitomised by the contemporary onslaught from the Islamic State’s ideology resulting in the continuation of the global terrorist threat. Yet, lessons drawn from the case study of British success in the Malayan Emergency experience, with the necessary qualifications, are useful in waging information war today against contemporary radical Islamist terrorism. The key lessons for contemporary counter-terrorism include: the need for psywar operations to be accompanied by legal and security measures in consultation with local Muslim communities to contain the enablers of the adversary’s psywar apparatus, establishing better governance over religious schools, enabling local Muslims to lead psywar operations, the use former terrorists in counter-radicalisation, the promotion of inclusion, addressing underlying causes of alienation and paying careful attention to developments in the Middle East.