Psychological warfare is the main method of combat in the world today. The different powers, political and economic, struggle to colonize minds. If they succeed, they can expand their power indefinitely.
Last update: 24 March, 2022
Psychological warfare is the name given to a set of actions aimed at destroy on the plane moral, emotional or symbolic the opponent in the context of a confrontation.
It is an ancient practice, used since the beginning of the war conflicts. Great warriors and combatants know that subjectively weakening the enemy produces strategic advantages.
The Chinese strategist Sun Tzu Sun proposed the very idea of ​​defeating the enemy in war without weapons. He did so in his famous work The Art of War, which has since become a classic combat manual. Genghis Khan himself adopted numerous psychological warfare tactics which have proved highly effective.
Later psychological warfare took the form of propaganda. Currently it is used constantly and not always in formal conditions of war, but also in various fields such as politics, religion, family and interpersonal relationships.
"The supreme art of warfare is to subdue the enemy without fighting."
-Sun Tzu-
The basics of psychological warfare
Hitler, a man of war, is an example of systematic recourse to psychological warfare. He prophesied that the wars of the future would be fought before military action began. He said this would happen "through mental confusion, mixed feelings, indecision and panic."
Currently, the US defense doctrine includes entire chapters devoted to psychological warfare. They point out that this has three main objectives:
- Destroy the will and the ability to fight of the enemy.
- Deprive the opponent of the support of his allies.
- Increase the morale of your troops and their desire to win.
A powerful propaganda system is needed to achieve these goals. In their day, the Nazis already exercised absolute control over the media, using it for their own interests.
It will be said that today in the West democracy prevails and freedom printing, but in practice this is not always the case.
The conquest of the brains
Various governments and numerous illegal groups have used terrorism as a means to achieve one's goals. On the one hand, in both cases the idea of ​​a radically evil, practically inhuman enemy is promoted.
The United States classifies all enemy leaders as "mad dictators". They, in turn, refer to that government as imperialist, demonic and blinded by arrogance.
On the other hand, several governments and illegal groups have also taken action the attack on the civilian population as a means of psychological warfare. From a military point of view, this has been dubbed the "fourth generation war".
It means making civilians victims in such a way as to frighten them and induce them to side with their own aggressor. This achieves the goal of eliminating the support that the opponent might have or win.
Massive protests have occurred recently in Ecuador, Chile and Colombia. A curfew was declared in all three countries. And in the three countries there was a striking event: at night, when there was no one on the street, there people started getting messages on social media who said there were vandals who broke into houses to steal.
Citizens called the police who tended not to answer. After much insistence, however, here is that the policemen answered the calls, presenting themselves in the place that was requested of them.
In many cases they have been hailed as heroes. People were so scared that they forgot the abuses of the uniform during the protests; instead, they gave all their support.
Psychological warfare in everyday life
Psychological warfare also occurs in everyday life; for instance, when the poor are accused of their poverty or the unemployed of their unemployment.
In the background an authoritarian message resounds which aims to stifle a possible protest from those who find themselves in a situation of powerlessness.
Gender psychological warfare occurs when men or women they decide to belittle the other sex with prejudice. Or when they present a model of life and success that we must adhere to in order to be accepted.
We live in times when our mind is the main spoils of war. To dominate the minds is to dominate the world and to undertake a path without obstacles to enact any barbarism with general complicity. Reading, reflection and meditation are valid shields against this attack.
