EngagingNarrativesforPeace&Security:

ReflectionsontheCaseofHumanMigration

September28,2017

PartnersGlobalandAllianceforPeacebuilding

1800MassachusettsAveNWSuite401

WashingtonD.C.20036

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OnSeptember28,2017,expertsfromanarrayofsectorsconvenedatPartnersGlobalandtheAllianceforPeacebuildingofficesforafollow-upmeetingto“EngagingNarratives:TheNew(Old)Battlefield.”TheoriginalconferencetookplaceattheElliottSchoolinMayof2017,andthisgatheringrepresentedacontinuedcommitmenttobuildingbridgesacrosssectorstoexploretheimportanceandpowerofnarratives.LeadersandexpertsfromtheDepartmentofDefense,otherU.S.Governmentagencies,nongovernmentalorganizations,industry,andacademiaattended.

Thisdocumentwascreatedtoserveasarecordofwhatwasdiscussedforfuturereferenceandtohelpmaintainfocusasweworktowardcommongoalswithinourrespectivesectors.

Wehaveincludedparticipants’contactinformationasavailable,andencouragecontinueddiscussionandcollaboration.

Aftersharingourstories,researchandexperience,andafterengagingeachotherinactivediscussionsovertwodaysattheElliottSchoolofInternationalAffairsatGeorgeWashingtonUniversity,weagreeupontheseguidingprinciples:

§ Thatweeachhavecriticalperspectivestooffer,basedonouruniqueexperiences,outlooks,andfieldsofinterest.

§ Thatimprovingthewaywetellstoriesrequiresapurposeful,dedicatedeffortinformedbythebestresearch,appliedscience,andlessonsfrompractitionersinthefield.

§ Thatoursharedstoriesbecomestrongerthroughexchangeamongdiverseindividuals,functions,sectors,andcommunities.

§ Thatwemustallbeadvocatesatourorganizationsandinourfieldsforasustainedcommitmenttobringinganunderstandingofnarrativetoeverythingwedo.

§ Thatcommunicationatandacrossalllevelsiskeytoworkingtogethereffectivelyonsharednarratives.

Finally,webelievethatthecontinuedcollaborationofadiverseandengagedNarrativescommunityisessential,andwewillstrivetonurturethiscommunityandthesharingofinformationandpracticeasweprepareforthefuture.

MAY24,2017

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Welcome&UpdateonNarrativesforPeace

TheworkshopbeganwithanupdateandintroductionfromAllianceforPeacebuildingCEOMelanieGreenbergandPartnersGlobalPresidentJuliaRoig.

Melanieexpressedthatthepeacebuildingcommunitymasterfullytellsstoriesabouttheirownsector,andknowshowtousestoriestoaffectpolicymakers.However,agappersistsincivil-militarydialogueregardingconflictnarratives.

Weoftenusephrasesthatdehumanizerefugees.Commonlyutilizedexpressionsreferto“wavesofhumanmigration,”“stormingborders,”and“floodsofrefugees.”Howdowere-centerhumanexperiencesandstoriesinthisdiscussion?

Melaniestressedthatsocietydiscussesthecostofacceptingrefugeesintoourcommunities,butneveraddressesthecostofrestrictingtheflowofpeople.Whatdoweloseintermsofideas,capacity,andcapabilitywhenwedon’tallowforimmigrationorrefugeeresettlement?

Additionally,itistimetore-centerthisconversationtotherootcausesofhumanmigration,andtohumanizethosewhohavebeenforcedtofleefromtheirhomes.

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UpdateonDepartmentofDefenseEffortstoUnderstandandEngageNarrativesAndrewKostrub

AndrewKostrub,oftheCollaborativeandAdaptiveSecurityInitiative,presentedontherediscoveryoftheimportanceofnarrativewithintheDepartmentofDefense(DoD).AndrewreportedthatmanyatDoDtookarenewedinterestinnarrativewhilestrugglingtocombatISISrecruitingmethods.TheU.S.GovernmentexplicitlyexaminednarrativestrategyinApril2015attheWhiteHouseSummittoCounterViolentExtremism(CVE),whichledtothepublicationofajointstrategyonCVEbytheU.S.DepartmentofStateandtheU.S.AgencyforInternationalDevelopment(USAID).

DoDhasstruggledtocombatenemynarratives,exposingatensionbetweentheviewthatDoD’sinterestinnarrativesislimitedtosupportingmilitaryoperations,andtheviewthateverythingDoDdoesisinserviceofagreaternarrative.SomehavecalledforarevampedUnitedStatesInformationAgency(USIA).USIAplayedacriticalroleininformationoperationsthroughouttheColdWar,defendingagainstpropagandaefforts.Thishasbecomeincreasinglyrelevantincurrenttimes.

ThemilitarydoesnotutilizethesameterminologyastheNGOsector.DoDdoesnotusetheterm“narrative”perse.Theyrefertothesameconceptasthe“informationenvironment.”

AndrewclarifiedthatDoDdoesnotseektoweaponizenarratives.Theyareattemptingtounderstandthenarrativesthatconflictcreates.Warbegetsanarrativeorcognitiveoutcome,andthemilitarymusthaveaholisticunderstandingofittoattainagreaterunderstandingofitsimpact.

Theimportanceofnarrativehasbecomeincreasinglyapparentwithinthemilitary.Andrewexplainedthatthishasbeenreflectedinformalstrategy.Themilitaryhasjointconceptsthatmustbeadoptedacrossallbranches.InOctober2016,DoDpublishedaJointConceptestablishingwarasahumanactivity.Thefollowingyear,themilitaryaddedtheJointConceptforIntegratedCampaigning,andthisyear,theJointConceptforOperationsintheInformationEnvironment.ThisreflectsanexplicitfocusontheeffectofnarrativeacrossallDoDfunctions.

AndrewconcludedbydiscussinganupdatemadetomilitarydoctrineinSeptember2017,describing“information”asaseventhjointfunction.JointFunctionscharacterizethemostintegralmovesand

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actionsofthemilitary,suchasmaneuver,intelligence,andsustainment.Theadditionofinformationreinforcestheimportanceofnarrativetoallmilitaryoperations.Bothdefeatoftheadversaryandpreventionofconflict,bywhatevermechanism,arecognitiveoutcomes.Thus,narrativeiscriticaltoachievingapositiveoutcomeinwar.

However,therehavebeenchallengesintegratingthisinitiativeacrossDoD.Currentoperationstypicallyregardnarrativeasanafterthought.Therecentadditionof“information”tothejointfunctionswilldriveDoDtointegratethisconceptintoalloperations.

Andrewfurtherclarifiedthatthemilitaryseekstoattain“enduringstrategicoutcomes”inallactions,essentiallyreferringtoconditionsthattheUnitedStateswouldconsidergenerallyfavorablepostconflict.DoDdoesnotreferto“wins.”Themilitarycannotachieve“enduringstrategicoutcomes”withoutanexplicitfocusonnarratives.

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IgniteTalks

ChrisBoianSeniorCommunicationsOfficer,UNHighCommissionforRefugees(UNHCR)ChrisbeganbyscreeningtwovideoscreatedbyUNHCRinanattempttoalterthenarrativeofrefugees.Thevideoseries,title“TheLandisYourLand,”profilesarchetypalAmericanswhohavedevelopedpersonalrelationshipswithrefugeesorworkcloselyontheissue.

Chrisassertedthattherehasbeenaconflationbetweenrefugeesandsecuritythreats.UNHCRhasfocusedonattemptingtodisentanglethetwoandrefocusonhumanitarianconcerns.Thecoremessageofthevideocampaigncommunicatesthefollowing:“IamAmerican.Icareaboutthesafetyofmyfamily,andIwanttohelprefugees.Thetwoarenotincompatible.WelcomingothersisacentraltenantofAmericanidentity.”

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AbdallahHendawyEgyptianActivistAbdallahhasabackgroundinbothsociologyandactivism.HegrewupinEgyptandrecountedhisexperiencethroughouttheEgyptianrevolution.Twoofhisclosefriendslostfamilyintherevolution.OneturnedtoISILandviolentextremism;theotherdidnot.Bothhadsimilargoals--theywantedtomaketheircountryabetterplace.Yet,differentnarrativesfocusedonthesamesetofeventscausedeachpersontotakeadivergentpathinlife.

Abdallahassertedthatnarrativesarenotastaticsetofideas.Theyareliving,transferrable,reproducible,andflexible.Likealivingorganism,theypenetrateourmindsandmovefromonebraintoanotherrathereasily.

Asaresult,wemustadoptanindividualizedapproachtoderadicalization.Abdullah’sfriendslivedverysimilarlivesearly-on,butdifferentnarrativesmanagedtobecomedominantintheirminds.Noonegeneralizedapproachcouldhaveaddressedbothpeople.

BryanPelleyEVPofCustomerSolutions,ProtagonistBryanstartedhistalkbydiscussingthedivisiveUSPresidentialelectionin2016.TheelectionbroughtdifferentnarrativestotheforefrontoftheAmericandialogue.Challengingissueshavebecomeincreasinglypolarized,anddifficulttodiscuss.

Bryanstressedtheneedtobeawareoftheunintendedconsequencesofouractionsandmessaging.Youcannotcontrolamessageonceithasbeenreleased.Singularnarrativesdonotexist,everythingoccursinanarrativelandscapewheredifferentstoriesandmessagesinteractwithoneanother.

Protagonistbelievesdataanalyticscanhelpusunderstandnarrativesinamoreconcreteway.Quantifiablefactorsallowustoobjectivelydeterminewhyonemessagemaybestrongerthananother.Protagonistconductsthisresearchandthenhelpsadviseclientsastowhichmessageswill“stick.”

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RogerSchankChairmanandCEOofSocraticArtsRogerfirstexplainedthetechnologicalplatformthathehasbeendeveloping.Rogerhasconceptualizedavideolibraryinwhichpeoplecansearchforinformationonanissueandautomaticallygainaccesstocontentfromexpertsonthetopic.Rogerbelievesthatwhenutilizingnarrativesandstories,timingiscritical.Thenarrativemustaddressapressingissueathandinordertobesalient.Thetechnicalissueistomatchstoriestosituations,somethingthatcanbedoneusingAIindexingtechniques.Inthisway,relevantstoriesappeartouserswhoareworkingonaproblem,automaticallyandjustintime

Rogerfurtherassertedthatanarrativemustbedistinguishedfromanattemptto“sell”aparticularproductorviewpoint.Authenticityiscriticalbecausehumanbeingsinherentlyenjoyconnectingwithoneanotherthroughstories.Artificialmanipulationsofstoriesfailtoeffectivelypenetratepeople’smindsoropinions.

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BreakOutDiscussionsFollowingtheIgnitetalks,participantsdeterminedwhichtopicstheywantedtodiscussingreaterdetail.Thisledtotheestablishmentofthreesmallerdiscussion

groups,eachofwhicharesummarizedbelow.

RadicalNarratives,Values,andCivicActionSomenarrativescanbelethal.Howdowebalancenarrativesthatcouldbepotentiallydangerouswithnarrativesthatwesimplydisagreewith?Whereisthatline?

Althoughnotallnarrativesmaybevalid,allpeopleare.Harmfulnarrativesexist,butwecannotcriminalizethought.Thegroupdeterminedthatultimatelythedominantnarrativedoesnotmatter.Rather,theharmfulactionsthatonemaytakebasedonthenarrativeshouldberegulatedorprevented.

Lastly,thegroupdiscussedthevalueofengagingwithothernarratives.Nopersonwillhaveacompletechangeofopinion,butengagingmayhelpslightlyshifttheirperception.Thishasbecomeincreasinglyimportantgiventhesiloednatureofonlineactivity.Wemustseekoutalternativenarrativesandengageindialoguewiththosedifferentfromus.

Ø Adversariesmaybelievethattheyareincompletedisagreementwithoneanother,andtotallydissimilar.Astorymayhelpusfindsomepointsofconnectionthatcanslightlyshiftperceptions.

Ø Theinternetallowsforvalidationof(sometimesderanged)beliefs.Theplatformswherethisoccurshavenottakenresponsibilityfortheperpetuationofpropagandaandfalseinformation.

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UseofNarrativeinCounteringViolentExtremismThisgroupfirstestablishedthatnarrativesmustbelocalizedandcontextualized.Thelandscapeofviolentextremismmustbeunderstoodbeforedeployinganarrativetoeffectivelycombatit.Forexample,intheMiddleEastandNorthAfrica,manypeoplebelievethattheconditionstheylivewithexistbecauseofUnitedStatespolicyandintervention.EveryactionthattheUnitedStatestakesintheregionisseenthroughthelensofthatexistingnarrative.

Nevertheless,thereareuniversalthemesthatshouldinformstrategyinavarietyofcontexts.Theseincludelackofcommunitycohesion,unmetexpectations,andthefeelingthatviolenceistheonlyalternative.Thegroupagreedthatadvocatesshouldmoveawayfromsimplisticappealstoeconomicgain.Peoplecraveasenseofpurpose-howdowefulfillthat?

Ø Theframingofanarrativeisimportant.Isitreligious?Isitanappealtoeconomicdespair?Whatkindofeffectdoesthathaveontherelationshipbetweenciviliansandgovernments?Weneedtofindtheoptimalformofframing.

Ø Bothdigitalandpeople-to-peoplemethodscanandshouldbeutilizedtocreatedialogue.Wemustn’trelyontheinternet.

UncoveringNarrativesandtheExperienceofProtagonistProtagonistaimstoextractnarrativesfromagivenissuearea,andconvertthemintoeasilyunderstandabletalkingpointsforleaders.Itoperatesinboththeprivateandpublicsectors,assistinggovernmentofficialsandleadersofFortune500companies.Protagonistusesharddatatotrackchangesinthisspaceandresearcheffectivestrategies.

ThisgroupthendiscussedrisingtribalismandculturaldifferencesintheUnitedStates.Thegroupagreedthatintheseincreasinglypolarizedtimes,weneedtofindpeopleorindustriesthatcanhelpbuildbridgesandmakeconnections.Thegroupacknowledgedthatmanyofthesedifferencesarenotsuperficial-wearedisagreeingaboutsacredvaluesandmorals.Attemptingtoreconciletheseissueswillnotbeeasy.

Lastly,theyexploredtheconceptofa“battlefieldofideas”inwhichmanynarrativescompetefordominance.Noonestorylinehasbecomedominant,sowemustadvocateformorenarrativesofpeace.

Ø Nowthatsomeideasandconceptsonthefringeshavebecomemainstream,howdoweaddressthem?Wecanworkwithintheexistingnarrativestoreframeitorpushthenarrativelandscapetoredirectitinsomeway.

Ø Leadersindifferentsectorsneedtobeatthetablewhenaddressingtheseissues.Government,theprivatesector,andNGOsallneedtobeinvolved.

Ø Weneedtoconsiderthatwedonotshareacommonlexicon,andmakeanefforttoconfirmunderstandingacrosscontestedphrases.Imagescanalsobeapowerfultoolfornarrative.Althoughwemustbecautious,asinterpretationsofimagescanbeverbalizedandinterpretedindrasticallydifferentways.

AbdallahHendawy

EgyptianActivistandStudentAbdallah.hendawy@gmail.com

AndrewKostrubInteragencyTrainingAnalyst

OfficeoftheSecretaryofDefenseakostrub@gmail.com

BeverlyPopelkaAssociateDirector,Civ-MilTraining

DepartmentofDefensebapopelka@gmail.com

BryanPelleyEVP,CustomerSolutions

Protagonistbpelley@potaganist.io

CharlesRoganPolicyFellow/AdvisortothePresident

ArtisInternationalcrogan@artisinternational.org

ChristianBoianSeniorPublicInformationOfficer

UnitedNationsHighCommissionerforRefugeesboian@unhcr.org

DavidAlpherWashingtonHeadofOffice

Saferworlddalpher@saferworld.org.uk

EdwardFluhrPolicyAnalyst

DepartmentofHomelandSecurityEdward.fluhr@hq.dhs.gov

ElanaSokolGraduateStudent

GeorgeMasonUniversityS-CAResokol@gmu.edu

JasonCullinaneLieutenantColonel

OUSD(P),SO/LIC,SO/CTJason.f.cullinane.mil@mail.mil

JenZiemkeCo-Founder

CrisisMappersjziemke@jcu.edu

JohandraDelgadoGraduateStudentAmericanUniversity

Jd1983a@student.american.edu

ParticipantList

JuliaRoigPresident

PartnersGlobaljroig@partnersglobal.org

KaraMarstonStorily

Co-Founderkmarston@gmail.com

MatthewLevingerDirector,NationalSecurityStudiesProgram

GeorgeWashingtonUniversitymlevinger@gwu.edu

MelanieGreenbergPresidentandCEO

AllianceforPeacebuildingmelaniecg@allianceforpeacebuilding.org

MerissaKhurmaNon-ResidentFellow

NewAmericanFoundationMerissakhurma@gmail.com

MichaelBarrGraduateStudentAmericanUniversity

mb5622b@student.american.edu

NancyHarrityBranchHead,Policy&DoctrineNavyofOfficeInformationNancy.harrity@navy.mil

PatrickScribnerSeniorIOAnalyst

DepartmentoftheArmyPatrick.j.scribner.ctr@mail.mil

RogerSchankChairmanandCEO

SocraticArtsroger@socraticarts.com

ShellieRamirezInternationalRelationsDirector

NationalGuardBureauShellie.r.ramirez.mil@mail.mil