Asymmetric Warfare: The Invisible Battlefield

Understanding and Navigating the Weaponization of Fear, Mental Health, and Loneliness in the Modern Geopolitical Landscape

Image by Pete Linforth from Pixabay

Living and navigating the current Geopolitical epoch successfully requires understanding some seemingly esoteric concepts: Asymmetric warfare is one of them. Asymmetric warfare involves unconventional tactics employed by weaker opponents to exploit the vulnerabilities of a stronger adversary. Did you know that fear, loneliness, and mental health are prime targets for weaponisation? You may wonder how that can be:

Fear

Fear can be weaponised by creating an environment of anxiety, uncertainty, and panic. This tactic may involve spreading rumours, exaggerating threats, or staging attacks to make the population constantly feel threatened. Fear can cause a breakdown in social cohesion, lead to irrational decision-making, and divert resources to address perceived dangers, leaving adversaries in a weakened state. Suppose you think about some of the messaging during the Covid-19 Pandemic in most countries. In that case, you can see examples of how messaging was weaponised: There was liberal use of emotionally-charged loaded language to increase public compliance. Do not misunderstand me — I am not stating that, in most cases, I think this tactic was wrong — it saved lives, albeit a bit authoritarian (a personal bias I need to explore further). Still, it did increase fear considerably amongst the population and exacerbated mental health issues. This conjured fear leads to my next salient point: mental health.

Mental health

Psychological warfare can target an adversary’s mental health, leading to increased levels of stress, anxiety, and depression among the population. This objective can be achieved through relentless negative messaging, intimidation, or the spread of disinformation that fosters hopelessness or despair.

This tactic was, and still is, being used extensively to target populations: we experienced epidemic proportions of disinformation and propaganda during Covid: Now, with the advent of a full-scale Russo-Ukrainian war, it is far more prolific still. Moreover, a population with poor mental health is highly susceptible to manipulation and less likely to resist or counter malign influence effectively.

Loneliness

Malign actors may seek to isolate individuals or communities to create feelings of loneliness and vulnerability. This goal can be achieved through disinformation campaigns that promote distrust, discrimination, or exclusion. By exploiting social divisions, adversaries can exacerbate feelings of alienation and discontent, leading to a decline in social cohesion and the potential for unrest or conflict. We witnessed this concept manifest throughout the Covid lockdown periods: many people started protesting and promoting violence in response to public-heath measures. So above, I have noted how fear, mental health and loneliness can be forged into a weapon by showing the effects of measures used to control a pandemic emulated the harms of asymmetric warfare. Therefore, how much more damaging could a dedicated crew of malefic actors or a rogue state be to our zeitgeist in these unprecedented geopolitical times?

Methods of Asymmetric Warfare

In addition to weaponising fear, loneliness, and mental health, malign actors may employ myriad other methods. These can include:

1. Disinformation and propaganda: Spreading false or misleading information through various channels creates confusion, manipulates public opinion, and erodes trust in institutions.
2. Cyber warfare: Engaging in cyber-attacks, hacking, and espionage to disrupt or sabotage critical infrastructure, steal sensitive information, or compromise national security.
3. Economic warfare: Using economic tools such as trade restrictions, sanctions, or currency manipulation to weaken an adversary’s economy and undermine political stability.
4. Psychological warfare: Employing tactics such as demoralisation, intimidation, and deception to undermine an enemy’s morale and decision-making capabilities.
5. Terrorism: Using violence or threats of violence against civilian populations to create fear, panic, and uncertainty while drawing attention to a specific cause or objective.
6. Proxy warfare: Supporting or using non-state actors, such as insurgent groups or militias, to engage in conflict on behalf of the malign actor, allowing for plausible deniability.
7. Biological and chemical warfare: Utilising biological or chemical agents to incapacitate, injure, or kill enemy combatants or civilian populations, often causing long-term damage to ecosystems and public health.
8. Irregular warfare: Relying on guerrilla tactics, hit-and-run attacks, and ambushes to wear down an adversary’s military and logistical capabilities over time.
9. Exploiting social and political divisions: Manipulating societal tensions, such as racial or religious conflicts, to destabilise an adversary from within and create discord.
10. Environmental warfare: Targeting an enemy’s natural resources or using environmental destruction as a weapon, such as contaminating water supplies or causing widespread deforestation.
11. Reflexive control: A psychological warfare concept that involves manipulating an opponent’s decision-making process by influencing their perception of reality. The goal is to make the opponent voluntarily select a course of action that aligns with the manipulator’s objectives while the opponent believes they are acting independently and in their best interest.

These methods, among others, may be employed by malign actors in asymmetric warfare to undermine, weaken, or disrupt a stronger adversary. It’s essential to be aware of these tactics and develop effective countermeasures to maintain security and stability.

Historical Examples

1. American Revolutionary War (1775–1783): The American colonists, who were less equipped and had fewer resources than the British Empire, used guerrilla tactics and knowledge of their local terrain to offset the British military advantage. They engaged in hit-and-run attacks, ambushes and targeted key British supply lines.
2. Vietnam War (1954–1975): The Viet Cong and North Vietnamese Army employed asymmetric warfare tactics against the technologically superior and better-equipped United States military. They used guerrilla warfare, tunnel systems, and booby traps to counter the conventional military power of the U.S.
3. Soviet-Afghan War (1979–1989): The mujahideen in Afghanistan, supported by the United States, Pakistan, and other countries, fought against the invading Soviet Union. They utilised the rugged terrain of Afghanistan, guerrilla tactics, and knowledge of local culture to counter the Soviet military advantage.
4. The Irish War of Independence (1919–1921): The Irish Republican Army (IRA) fought against British rule in Ireland using guerrilla warfare, ambushes, and hit-and-run tactics. They targeted British security forces, infrastructure, and supply lines to wear down the British and gain support for Irish independence.
5. The Algerian War of Independence (1954–1962): Algeria’s National Liberation Front (FLN) used asymmetric warfare tactics to fight against French colonial rule. They employed guerrilla warfare, terrorism, and propaganda to undermine the French military and gain international support for their cause.

These historical examples illustrate how weaker or less-equipped forces have successfully employed asymmetric warfare tactics to challenge and sometimes defeat more powerful adversaries. Each case demonstrates the importance of understanding and countering asymmetric threats in both past and present conflicts.

Role of Information Warfare

Now whilst the historical examples show how asymmetric was waged in times past, we have an additional dimension to be concerned about with our information ecosystem. The internet, social media, and AI are powerful weapons in an asymmetric warrior’s arsenal; they can now launch disinformation into the stratosphere of our collective consciousness with lightning speed.

Reflexive control cracks us with a whip of disinformation, so sensual and so sweet: we embrace it until all we hold dear is drained from us and we awaken from the seductive apathy, our bondage fully complete: our freedoms drifting like a wraith in the far reaches of our consciousness.

PS: So, you think you are immune to asymmetric warfare techniques: Let me ask you this, Did you ever have an emotional response to something you later found to be wrong? I have! And I make no bones about it; everyone is susceptible if they do not exercise both critical and analytical thinking skills combined with fact-checking.

References

American Revolution Facts. (2023). Retrieved 30 April 2023, from https://www.battlefields.org/learn/articles/american-revolution-faqs

Vietnam War. (2023). Retrieved 30 April 2023, from https://www.history.com/topics/vietnam-war/vietnam-war-history

The Soviet War in Afghanistan, 1979–1989. (2023). Retrieved 30 April 2023, from https://www.theatlantic.com/photo/2014/08/the-soviet-war-in-afghanistan-1979-1989/100786/

Irish War of Independence. (2023). Retrieved 30 April 2023, from https://www.nam.ac.uk/explore/irish-war-independence

The Algerian War: Cause Célèbre of Anticolonialism — JSTOR Daily. (2023). Retrieved 30 April 2023, from https://daily.jstor.org/algerian-war-cause-celebre-anticolonialsm/