Content warfare: It Strategic Impact and psychological Impact: Part 1

                                                                                              

Perception of the enemy is the pivot on which an army is preparing for war. But today, warfare would not restrict to the battlegrounds, and threat perception theory changed from only enemy forces to anything used as a weapon. First, we discuss the threat perception, which includes:

1. Existence of Real-Time Threat
2. Category of Threat
3. Environmental effects
4. Theories to Approach the Threat
5. Counter Measures
6.  Political and Strategical Goals

These are all the points through which we perceive the threat. The concept of hybrid war also came from threat perception theories. These all need content not only just satisfy the administration but also the public and allies. How was the propaganda war revolutionized into information warfare or content warfare? The most influenced era of content warfare is the cold war era. Propaganda and counter-propaganda from the communist pole and capitalist pole. But today the game is more complex compared to the past. There are more platforms for launching this warfare. Content warfare is divided into two categories::

1. Inside the country
2. Influence the globe

Inside, content warfare is further divided into more subcategories. These categories include:

1. Culture
2. Language
3. Anthropology of Society
4. Sectors based on Ideology, Culture, and Language
5. Structure of the Society and its Roots
6. Psychological Doctrine of War
7. Psychology of the Nation formed ideology
8. Diversification
9. Unity and Cracks

In modern-day content warfare, the content is formed on these points. Inside your sphere, count too many things. Starting with the school syllabus, Nazis are the first to know the power of print and electronic media in modern warfare. Mind washing by under the radar or non-noticeable means results from content warfare. Suppression of Germans by France, the stimulus for German content warfare. Germans, British, Japanese, and Americans used propaganda inside their countries and against enemies. As Axis Powers lost, but it is the start of warfare which is the stimulus of actual war. Anti-Axis or pro-Axis content warfare only be validated when you have:

1. Diplomatic relations are stronger enough to be convinced by someone.
2. Healthy economy to continue such kind of warfare.

Allies had an abundance of everything they used, from lying to deception carefully. We called it the first proposition of content warfare. Diplomacy played a keen role in developing common interests based on:

1. Common Ideology
2. Common Adversary
3. Geo-Politics, Geo-Economics, Geography

All three facts decide the common goals. The resistance always is there, diplomacy is needed to improve the relationship with friends and foes. The economy assists in the phase-out the diplomatic solutions. How is content warfare involved in it? Every country in the world is based on some ideology. From childhood to maturity, this ideology is revised so many times that it is printed in the minds. In the above mention points, Allies build their propaganda machine, but the one that is more important content is a common adversary. The whole of WW2 was fought on this point. We divided the era of content warfare into three divisions.

1. The First Content War (From WW2 to the Cold War Era)
2. The Second Content War (From First Cold War to Dissolution of Soviet Union)
3. The Third Content War (From Dissolution of Soviet Union to the Rising of China) till today.

The common enemy is the content of this first propaganda war, which affects deeply psychologically. Still, in most movies in Hollywood about WW2, the Nazis are the major opponents. Psychological cleansing stimulated. The second propaganda war started with the cold war era. The major cause was ideology vs ideology. The communist Soviet Union and allies against the capitalist USA and allies. This round on the chessboard was circulating one thing, who was in a better position to explain its ideology and stick with the moral rules of its ideology. The dynamics of flexibility also made the ideology easy to demonstrate. The whole era of the first cold war was about two economic systems.

1. Communism
2. Capitalism

What failed communism in content warfare and what capitalism achieved is a long discussion. We focused on key points, which are:

1. Dynamics of Flexibility
2. Mediums of Content Warfare
3. Leadership and Administration
4. Diversification
5. International Relations

                                                                                 

            

 The dynamics of flexibility is the major constraint of content warfare in the cold war era. Communism failed because of a lack of flexibility which the USA and Europe have. That is the primary key the West has. Because of flexibility in your ideology, more chances of prevailing your propaganda among the world. The free world, free economy, and a liberal society are the major points of their content warfare. These are the weaknesses of communist ideology, West took advantage of. The second weakness which played the main in the Dissolution of the Soviet Union role is strictness about religious matters. The West and the USA gave ideological or religious freedom, but racism is their basic problem. Both ideologies have loose ends. The whole second content war was highlighted your dynamics of flexibility and covered the loose ends. There are too many loose ends, but here the most basic loose end in dynamics of flexibility is “Economy”. Flexibility in economic dimensions politically helps the states and communism with the broader vision failed because of less economic flexibility. When compromises on flexibilities as a state may be your propaganda are too strong, defeat is the answer in content warfare as Germans did the same thing. From the Chinese perspective, as a communist state, China changed its narrative in 1992 after the 1989 Tiananmen Square protest. With major reforms in the economy, China turned the economy into mix economy with a vast range of flexibility which the even USA lacks has content to share with the world “World Largest Growing Economy”. Once the USA has the same content “The World Richest and Powerful Country”. The flexibility in content brings more clients or allies, even economic, ideologists, or anything else. The dynamics of flexibility have the following foundations, divided by two categories. First is makeover pillars to attract the audience, as:

1. Equality
2. Justice
3. Transparency
4. Liberty

The second category is the aspects of reality, as:

1. Economy
2. Time
3. Space
4. International Relations

These are the fundamental concepts sold by the USA during the cold war. These pillars of dynamics of flexibility shape the content for the USA in the cold war. Technology has changed during these decays the economic shape and geopolitical shape of the world changed. The USA builds a narrative against the Soviets successfully. The 2001 war against terror builds content against the Taliban successfully. Here, the USA lost precious time and slowly, like the Vietnam war and outcomes are loose space. The first four things are bookish nature, but the last three are the real ones. Why bookish nature stuff is included? The answer is because of their attractive nature to the public; you called them to make up. The nature or reality of the last three points decided whether or not your content is worth it and also the makeover of the first four points makes the last three workable. That is the charm of dynamics of flexibility.

If we viewed the makeover portion, every country could claim these four points to show the world their soft power. But the real factors which measure the dynamics of flexibility are the last four. First, the cold war USA has time, space, and money. The results are batter IR, these advantages took the USA to the throne of the world. The adversary Soviets have only two points which are Space and IR. So the results of the weak economy and waste of time in the Afghan war led to the catastrophe of collapse. In the game, propaganda (The First Four) is used as an appetizer, and realities (The Last Four) decide the defeat and victory.

After the cold war era, the USA found new targets or threats. Leaving Afghanistan unsafe and an open area, the space is filled with extremist organizations. So, the former allies became new threats, but coming to 9/11, the Iran-Iraq War, and the first Gulf War, it is necessary to give them a little touch alongside the Soviet-Afghan War. Starting with the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan in 1979, the USA uses the dynamics of flexibility to promote its content of Jihad against the Soviets. Then the changing the pro-USA Iranian regime and USA’s embassy crises in Tehran. Then the Iraqi invasion of Iran, till now the USA covertly or openly successfully spread its content for strategic goals. One appetizer which changes the content in its favor is the dynamics of flexibility.