The Power Of Unreason

The Power of Unreason is a new report from the UK-based political think tank, Demos, that examines the role of conspiracy theories in the motivation of extremist groups. It seems to confirm the virulent (and viral) nature of conspiracy theories and their use to recruit and strengthen extremist groups. Interesting reading. Some highlights:

Much Weirdness In Common

Our analysis shows that conspiracy theories are widely prevalent across this extremist spectrum, despite the vast differences in the extremist ideologies themselves. For far right groups, the concept of Zionist Occupied Government (ZOG) – that a small cabal of Jews controls world governments – is central to both ideology and  propaganda. For al-Qaeda and other radical Islamist groups, the conspiracy tends to be a generalised Judeo-Christian-Capitalist  quest to destroy Islam. Far left and anarchist groups propagate a Marxist-inspired bourgeois conspiracy of ‘international financiers’, or ‘global elites’, which they sometimes believe is leading toward a ‘New World Order’ of a unitary, totalitarian world government.

A Radicalizing Multiplier

"...The acceptance of conspiracy theories in contexts of extremism often serves as a ‘radicalizing multiplier’, which feeds back into the ideologies, internal dynamics and psychological processes of the The Power of Unreason group. They hold extremist groups together and push them in a more extreme and sometimes violent direction."

The Long Term Threat

More broadly, conspiracy theories drive a wedge of distrust between governments and particular communities. Conspiracy theories - such as those that claim 7/7 or 9/11 were ‘inside jobs’ - demolish the mutuality and trust that people have in institutions of government, with social and political ramifications that we still don't fully understand. This can especially hinder community-level efforts to fight violent extremism. A more long-term threat is that extreme and violent groups could start to form new alliances based on shared conspiracies – as has already happened with the National Anarchist movement and various far right overtures to al-Qaeda. Moreover, extreme groups may be able draw on a larger counter- culture of conspiracies as a pool of possible recruits.