Lets take a look at the visuals of the video.
It starts with a clip of Obama at a press conference announcing that
he ordered air strikes in Iraq. It then shifts to footage of those air
strikes. Even the name, "A message to America" is reminiscent of
political messages in US domestic politics.
Foley is shaved and dressed in orange as have been a lot of people
"executed" by Islamists. The color is intended to convey that the person
is a convict ready for formal execution (by imitating American prison
garb). Islamists try to surround their actions with as many external
markers of legitimacy as possible while retaining the moral framework
they fight for.
Forcing a person to confess and condemn their government is an act
that ISIS likely intends to sway some of the US population with "the
truth" but also serves a vital role for the ISIS personnel in helping to
psychologically justify their actions. Emotionally, torturers are under
a lot of stress and they need somebody to tell them that their actions
have led to more good. Islam also has very little doctrine against
coercion but plenty about ensuring obedience. You can see how these come
together.
The appeals to family members are intended to be emotionally
heart-wrenching but are much more so than previous efforts around
2006-2008. This is a sophisticated effort. Note the use common American
terms in the prepared speech.
The executioner speaks with a British accent and addresses Obama
personally. Politics in the Islamic world tends to be made by
personalities, not offices, not organizations, but individual leaders
who vett most decisions. The claim that Muslims have chosen the Islamic
Caliphate as their government is an attempt to claim democratic
legitimacy (again, this is targeted towards the West, they don't have to
believe it) and a rival claim about international law, that
interference in other countries (unless attacked) is illegal. Americans
also respond more submissively towards British accents. These guys are
smart and have clearly practiced this video release a lot. While I hate
their ideas and social model, I respect their intelligence and effort.
ISIS has clearly learned from previous video releases not to show the
graphic details of a beheading while still needing to show that it took
place. They blurred the actual act but left it visible. This is
probably to satisfy the constituency of Muslim viewers who enjoy and
celebrate the gore of the beheading while avoiding the backlash in the
West for the gruesome nature of it. Again, these guys are smart and they
are walking a tightrope between satisfying Muslim emotional needs and
not triggering Western retaliation.
The final scene is of a different prisoner, similarly shaven,
similarly dressed with a reminder that his life depends on Obama's next
decision.
This is an effort to use the emotional force of hostage appeals to
influence US foreign and military policy. Clearly, such efforts have
worked in the past. Iran got weapons and parts for its military by
trading the embassy hostages. Bergdahl was useful to the Taliban not
only on an operational level (forcing the US to expend time and manpower
searching for him) but also on a strategic level of forcing the US to
choose between larger political goals and the life of one prominent
American (which becomes outsized in emotional terms).
That Foley was a journalist is also an effort to grab what US
citizens they can but also helps cut off information to the West about
things ISIS doesn't want publicly known in the West. Remember that
Daniel Pearl was a prominent murder not only because he was an American
but also because of his reporting on Kosovo that weakened the case for
Jihad (and western support) there.
