Information and Psychological Warfare

Information has emerged as one of the most contested domains of modern conflict. States, non-state actors, extremist organisations, intelligence agencies, and strategic competitors increasingly utilise propaganda, disinformation, perception management, influence operations, and psychological warfare to shape public opinion, manipulate narratives, influence political outcomes, and weaken adversarial societies from within. The battlefield of the twenty-first century is therefore not limited to physical confrontation alone but increasingly extends into the cognitive and informational space.

The Information and Psychological Warfare category serves as CNAWS’ dedicated research hub for analysing the role of information operations and cognitive conflict within contemporary warfare ecosystems. This category examines propaganda networks, digital influence campaigns, social media manipulation, strategic narratives, information dominance strategies, psychological operations, and disinformation ecosystems employed by both state and non-state actors.

Special emphasis is placed on the intersection of technology and information warfare, including artificial intelligence-generated propaganda, deepfake ecosystems, algorithmic amplification, online radicalisation, and digitally coordinated influence operations. Through strategic assessments, operational analysis, and research-driven publications, CNAWS seeks to examine how information itself has become a weapon capable of shaping conflict outcomes, strategic perceptions, and geopolitical realities.