Political Issues
Politics can be quite a complex subject matter, there are numerous factors that affect politics, political instability, and relations between countries or an entire region. Some of these issues include but are not limited to: resources such as Oil, Power dynamics, and personal interest, cultural and historical factors, and war. Examples of political issues are
Terrorism as a Political issue
In this section, we will focus on terrorism and how acts of terrorism can impact political relations. According to the Global Terrorism Database (GTB) acts of terrorism are defined as “the threatened or actual use of illegal force and violence by a non-state actor to attain a political, economic, religious, or social goal through fear, coercion, or intimidation (The threat among us, 2016) Although this is only one definition of terrorism, it is important to note that State Terrorism does exist and is a serious political issue that stems from corrupted state governments. However, this topic is beyond the scope of this paper.
Max Abraham's interesting Organization theory suggests that in most cases people turn to terrorism to gain solidarity and create strong ties with other terrorist groups for social gain rather than political. Well-established terrorist groups with a strong foundational structure such as ISIS, Hamas, Al Qaeda, and Hezbollah are often joined by individuals that come from a poor financial and economic background, with no jobs, and often times unmarried. These factors cause them to be perfect candidates and easily influenced to join terrorist groups with strong foundations. They can provide them with financial and social support through community and comradery.
Figure 17: Hezbollah and Hamas flags
On September 11, 2001, 4:46 p.m a terrorist attack that took place in Manhattan, New York, has forever changed the airline industry. The hijacking incident crashing the World Trade Center resulted in a steep decline in the aviation industry, decreasing the demand by 30%, and therefore the loss of 62,000 airline jobs. Up until the global pandemic crisis (Covid-19) there hasn’t been any other major historical event that shocked the aviation industry to this extent. (Josephs,2021)
Figure 18: Map of Recorded Terrorist Aviation attacks. 1950-2014
Source (The Threat Among Us.2016)
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The aftermath of the attack was brutal, businesses came to a halt and people didn’t trust airlines and preferred other means of transportation. The entire industry had to be reshaped in an effort to regain customers’ trust once again. It was crucial to gain momentum and profit after losing $8 billion dollars in 2001. (CNBC,n,d). In 2006 is when airlines began to slowly return back to normal, however it was met with another global strike in 2008 called the great recession. So how did a global industry that is completely built and sustained on consumer air mileage recover?
Prior to the attack security measures and checkpoints were quite minimal in comparison to post 9/11. Passengers are now asked to arrive at least an hour before their scheduled flight to ensure all passengers go through a thorough security check and their belongings are screened through an X-ray machine. Belts and shoes were required to be taken off at checkpoints following the “Shoe bomber” attempted attack where British terrorist Richard Reid attempted to bomb a flight headed from Paris to Miami in late 2001. (Koeing,2021) Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has also begun offering self-defense training courses for flight attendants post 9/11.
Furthermore, in 2001, American airlines Delta’s CEO Richard Anderson in a public statement following the terrorist attack had said: “It’s a great irony to have the United Arab Emirates from the Arabian Peninsula talk about that, given the fact that our industry was really shocked by the terrorism of 9/11, which came from terrorists from the Arabian Peninsula” (Saleem & Dustin, 2015 P.4).
Ever since airports around the world including Emirates and Etihad terminals have implemented heightened security procedures. Emirates Group Security is an organization whose mission and sole purpose is to and ensure safety and security measures and strategies are implemented across the Emirates group. The group offers a wide scope of training such as Aircrew Training for cabin crew members as well as on-ground training for airport staff. Should an emergency occur anywhere, Emirates employees across departments are prepared to handle the situation in a professional and high skilled regard, Furthermore, the security offers an extensive computer-based training program for advanced IT threats.
(Emirates Group Security, n.d)
Figure 19: Emirates Group Security
How Emirates Airlines and Etihad Airways leveraged the political issue of Terrorism in their AIMC
In 2001, American airlines Delta’s CEO Richard Anderson in a public statement following the terrorist attack had said: “It’s a great irony to have the United Arab Emirates from the Arabian Peninsula talk about that, given the fact that our industry was really shocked by the terrorism of 9/11, which came from terrorists from the Arabian Peninsula”
(Saleem & Dustin, 2015 P.4).
The UAE airlines officials along with Qatar’s air were greatly offended and infuriated by the comments Anderson made, particularly that both countries have been allies to the United States and continue to provide support post the terrorist attack. The statement was then clarified along with an apology that was issued, however, Dubai airlines, Emirates, the largest leading airline in the Gulf rejected the apology and took great offense with regards to the statement and said in a statement that Anderson’s comments were intentional and made to cause a specific outcome. (Reuters, 2015).
We must note, however, that during the research process and the efforts made to find online resources addressing how both Emirates Airlines and Etihad Airways were or were not impacted by the terrorist attack that there was hardly any material made available. There was a notable scarcity of resources.
How Etihad Airways could have addressed the issue of Terrorism in their AIMC
​It is important for a brand to address the public fears and anxieties that concern their consumer and target market. By doing so, the brand can deepen the existing bond and trust between them and their audience. Aviation terrorism and hijacking are serious matters that can affect any airline, therefore it is vital to ensure that safety, security, and the wellbeing of passengers remain the number one priority. To address this issue we have created an online safety brochure for Etihad Airways that addresses the issue without inciting further fear. It is the brand’s way of acknowledging the valid concerns of their consumer base whilst being transparent about the active security measures being taken by the brand in efforts to combat aviation terrorism. We’ve also ensured that the brochure does not include words like “Terrorist” “Terrorism” “Highjacking” etc, to stay in alignment with Etihad’s tonality of communication. Moreover, these words would naturally evoke unsettling emotions and panic which ultimately defeats the main purpose of this brochure.
Copy Platform Etihad Airways Safety Brochure:
The issue to address:
The rise of terrorist attacks on the aviation industry. Terrorist groups in the past decade have been using advanced levels of technology to perform high intricate attacks on a global scale, Therefore, it is important for a global organization, specifically in the aviation industry to take active measures in communicating with transparency to their audience, the issue at hand and what is being done to ensure their safety.
Communication objective:
To educate Etihad airways passengers on the security measures taken by the airways to protect passengers during their flight, as well as ways to navigate unexpected and challenging situations while staying calm.
Target Audience:
Etihad passengers
Compelling benefit:
Ensuring that Etihad passengers are well aware and have full trust of the airlines and their capabilities to ensure the safety of all passengers on the ground and off. The brochure reaffirmed that passenger’s safety is Etihad’s airways number one priority while providing steps passengers can take to maintain their wellbeing and safety during a challenging situation.
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Creative execution:
An online brochure available on the Etihad website, the brochure is mandatory viewing for one the ticket is purchased. The safety brochure also links Etihad Airways latest safety video.
Figure 20: Etihad Airways Safety Brochure (outer side)
Figure 21: Etihad Airways Safety Brochure (inner side)
