Beyond Bullets and Bombs: The Rising Tide of Information War in International Affairs
Commentary by Benjamin Jensenand Divya Ramjee
Published December 20, 2023
Introduction
Today’s wars aren’t just fought on physical battlefields—they are fought online. Strategy is about perception, and cognitive warfare in information spaces is on full display with the wars between Ukraine and Russia and Israel and Hamas. Social media has become the primary means by which the public can engage with war, helping to both spread propaganda and fight false narratives. However, beyond dealing with the veracity of what is shared online, the virality of disseminated content can be key to winning support, particularly among younger generations. Furthermore, the success of campaigns in the information space also relies on the decisions of Big Tech to allow or remove content based on guidelines for hate speech and the like.
In these recent conflicts, it took Israel days and Ukraine almost a year to cede the information high ground. While much of the West instantly rallied behind Ukraine following Russia’s illegal invasion of the region, Russia worked through troll farms and quasi-news outlets, like state-owned Russia Today (RT), to shape public opinion in the Global South. Now, opinion is shifting in Europe and the United States in a public targeted by Kremlin operatives and distracted by inflation and other conflicts. In the Israel-Hamas war, social media influencers outflanked a leading national security and intelligence apparatus to capture the attention of Gen Z globally, weaving together the war with larger themes of post-colonial resistance.
Both conflicts show a stark new reality: cognitive warfare waged in and through cyberspace and information mediums is an essential component of modern strategy. Discussions and divisiveness across digital outlets such as Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly known as Twitter), YouTube, TikTok, WhatsApp, and Telegram fuel public perceptions and influence official decisionmaking. To be successful in conflicts to come, the United States and its democratic partners will need to reinvigorate their fight in the information space by tailoring messages to diverse global audiences, timing counternarratives for key points in conflicts, and fueling Gen Z’s calls for truth and activism.
https://www.csis.org/analysis/beyond-bullets-and-bombs-rising-tide-information-war-international-affairs
