Counter-Daesh Coalition Communications Cell

The Coalition Communications Cell is a propaganda unit in the Foreign and Commonwealth Office that works closely with the US State Department and the UAE in The Global Coalition against Daesh.

According to a letter by the UK Foreign Secretary:

The UK, with the US and UAE, co-chairs the Global Coalition’s Strategic Communicatons Working Group. The UK has provided £10m to set up a Counter-Daesh Coalition Communications Cell, based in the FCO. The Cell brings together the 66 Coalition partners behind one communications initiative. Through this work the FCO is setting the direction for counter-Daesh communications, sharing expertise on strategic communications tools and building the capacity of Coalition partners in the region.

The Global Coalition’s Communication Cell, is said to be 'embedded in the United Kingdom’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office in London'. The head of that cell, Dan Chugg, stated in an interview with a US propaganda outlet Unipath:

To defeat Daesh in the propaganda war, the cell manages campaign activity that aims to hasten the collapse of the Daesh ‘brand,’ targeting the group’s claims to statehood, success and supremacy. The cell seeks to achieve this by working in partnership with others, sharing best practices and pooling resources. Campaigns in Iraq and Syria provide testimony on the truth of life under Daesh. Working with and through credible voices, we are leaving no space uncontested; targeting key audiences; revealing Daesh’s failed proposition; and emboldening and empowering moderate voices. The overarching narrative is that Daesh is failing on their own terms. By defining and highlighting Daesh failures, and by making clear that only Daesh is responsible for its actions, we will make the Daesh ‘brand’ less appealing. Conversely, we should not concentrate too much on coalition success, as this risks playing into Daesh’s narrative of victimhood.

People

• Nancy Jamal
• Dan Chugg - head of CCC