Writers : Al Qaeda posting feel-good videos , holding ice cream eating contests , tugs of war . They say Al Qaeda and affiliates want to win `` hearts and minds , '' but the groups have failed . Writers : Islam fighters in Iraq try sugar and spice tack , but in Syria they kill civilians . Al Qaeda and its regional franchises understand they need to try to win the `` heart and minds '' of the local population ; something they have generally failed to do in the past and something that the leaders of these groups have come to understand is a major problem . New image will not win over people appalled by murder in the name of al Qaeda , they say .
Writers : Al Qaeda posting feel-good videos , holding ice cream eating contests , tugs of war . They say Al Qaeda and affiliates want to win `` hearts and minds , '' but the groups have failed . Writers : Islam fighters in Iraq try sugar and spice tack , but in Syria they kill civilians . New image will not win over people appalled by murder in the name of al Qaeda , they say .