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Beyond Bullets and Bombs: The Rising Tide of Information War in International Affairs

csis.org · 142 words · saved by 1 readers

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-

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