Psychological warfare management
This article dwells on two basic author’s concepts of state information policy implementation in condition of psychological warfare – counteraction to psychological warfare and psychological warfare management. Concept of psychological warfare management is an activity aiming at changing system features of warfare in the selected direction with use of tools of external political influence. Thus, it is based on the principle that if nothing can be changed, it can be organized and leaded. Implementation of this concept in praxis lets state policy to achieve goals, which are unattainable for counteraction concept. So, the common ideas of features and level of danger of modern information-psychological warfare are changing. To our point of view, within the system of state information policy management of information-psychological warfare will be considered in current future as an important category of the activities in peculiar conditions. It is noteworthy that this article introduces the category of information-psychological warfare management for the first time into the definition apparatus of scientific research on information-psychological security, psychological warfare and state information policy.
Examination of information-psychological warfare as a social notion points out two basic social functions of information-psychological warfare: destruction and regulation ones.
Destruction function of information-psychological warfare results in permanent changes in the system of social-political relations in society, transformation of its structure, direct and indirect connection taking into account new practically non-regulated by law norms forms of political extremism; escalation of political struggle and implementation of praxis of direct violence forms in reaching political goals. Application of modern information-psychological warfare technologies results in affection of individual’s central nervous system, leading to destruction of individual’s mentality, damage to psychical state, change or destruction of values system, change or partial loss of an ability to think abstract logically. Thus, the national gene fund worsens. Negative influence on individual’s mentality and psychic does not stop even after eliminating of an aggression source.
Regulation function is to solve contradictions on power and political leadership implementation in information-psychological area by using methods, which exclude necessity of direct military aggression. In modern society information-psychological warfare replaces this form of conflict relations in political struggle. In international relations there is a tendency in using dangerous potential of modern information-psychological warfare aiming at curbing direct military aggression, so called information-psychological curbing (it is an analogue of military curbing). So, it implies management of crisis situations using preventive actions of information-psychological influence on nation and governments in the potential area of conflicts.
Regulation of the social danger level of information-psychological warfare as a means of tough political compulsion and a form of uncontrolled violence could not come to the introduction of prohibition and limit system. Information-psychological warfare is based on using the same basic elements and means of social communication in its technologies of latent influence like other social processes. Thus, it cannot be eliminated as a social notion and a type of social conflict, but can be at the definite controlled by society level of social danger.
State information policy is important for regulating social danger of information-psychological warfare. However, modern state information policy of Russia is unable to protect Russian society from destroying influence of information-psychological warfare in connection with low readiness of Russian society to oppose actively to any attempts of manipulating social mentality. Whereas citizens are trying to understand the threat, which introduce information-psychological warfare, information-psychological warfare technologies influence not only on mentality, but on subconsciousness.
The scientific hypothesis of our research is that in conditions of information-psychological warfare it is essential to amend the concept of modern state information policy aiming at its adaptation to new conditions. We assume that it is impossible to eliminate information-psychological warfare as a permanent social notion at this evolution stage of society, but state regulation can provide the definite, controlled by society, level of social danger.
The inefficiency of modern state information policy in conditions of information-psychological warfare:
- requires amendment of the whole concept of modern information policy aiming at its adaptation to modern conditions, in which information society is building;
- points out peculiar conditions of its implementation and necessity of working out special methods and mechanisms of political influence, which are adequate to those revolutionary changes that take place within the system of social-political relations in modern society.
In conditions of information-psychological warfare the objective for forming of state information policy should be the search of patterns, principles, forms, and methods of political regulation. They help:
- to prepare society to counteract actively to information-psychological warfare;
- to counteract to information-psychological warfare at the state level with the assistance of institutes of civil society;
- to carry out setting goals, form an organizational structure, employ methods and resources for implementation of state management system in accordance with criteria on priority development in comparison with a system of information-psychological aggression (warfare) implementation; adequate counteraction to information-psychological warfare as a permanent social notion (conflict).
In conditions of psychological warfare the main function of state information policy is social protection from negative information-psychological influence and includes two main elements:
- counteraction to information-psychological warfare;
- information-psychological warfare management.
Concept of counteraction assumes that
- first, information-psychological warfare is an external factor in regard to the protected system. We are unable to influence on reasons of appearing of this notion, while it happens somewhere outside the protected system;
- second, by counteracting to warfare we interfere with patterns of forming and evolution of this particular information-political conflict, destroy normal temps of its evolution change conditions of its transformation from one stage of conflict evolution to another one. In principle, such interference may destroy psychological warfare evolution as political conflict and result in its political disorganization.
- third, any new information-political conflict is a new threat for the protected system. The more conflicts appear the more threats.
The basic lack of counteraction concept is that the target of counteraction is elimination or localization of information-political conflict in that place where it appeared. It is impossible under conditions of a variety of information-political conflicts; we struggle with some features of a new social notion – psychological warfare, but not with the notion itself.
Concept of psychological warfare management in information policy is based upon the principle that if something cannot be defeated, it should be organized and leaded. Concept of psychological warfare management is an activity aiming at changing system features of warfare in the selected direction with use of tools of external political influence. To our point of view, within the system of state information policy management of information-psychological warfare will be considered in current future as an important category of the activities in peculiar conditions.
Concept of psychological warfare management is aimed at reaching goals, which are unattainable for counteraction concept: if warfare can be managed, therefore it is not so important for social stability whether there are a lot of such conflicts or not in the political area of society. Thus, as soon as the similar conflict appears, it becomes a subject of political regulation, and therefore performs a definite social function in society. Despite the fact that modern information-psychological warfare is aggressive, it possesses some social functions. First, they are the following: ousting of traditional forms of military struggle from the area of international relations, so called information curbing. Use of these psychological warfare functions in the system of international relations (including restraining its destructive elements) suggests that psychological warfare is a tool of information policy. Moreover, information-political conflict management cannot be effective if there are a few conflicts. In case there is a single conflict, it behaves individually and it goes beyond the framework of basic statistical tendency and patterns, which information management takes into consideration. Thus, a variety of conflicts in the concept of psychological warfare management is not a hindrance, but the main condition for efficiency of this concept implementation.
New tendencies and patterns of state information policy implementation appear in conditions of information-psychological warfare:
1.1. Social adaptation of information-psychological warfare: information-psychological warfare evolution in the direction of strengthening its social function is capable to transform information-psychological warfare into one of the institutes of warfare into one of the institutes of information-political relations regulation.
In future state information policy will be based on strengthening of a regulative social function of information-psychological warfare and weakening of its destructive function aiming at transformation of an aggressive form of information-political relations (warfare) into one of the institutes of social relations regulation.Examination of information-psychological warfare as a social notion points out two basic social functions of information-psychological warfare: destruction and regulation ones.
Destruction function of information-psychological warfare results in permanent changes in the system of social-political relations in society, transformation of its structure, direct and indirect connection taking into account new practically non-regulated by law norms forms of political extremism; escalation of political struggle and implementation of praxis of direct violence forms in reaching political goals. Application of modern information-psychological warfare technologies results in affection of individual’s central nervous system, leading to destruction of individual’s mentality, damage to psychical state, change or destruction of values system, change or partial loss of an ability to think abstract logically. Thus, the national gene fund worsens. Negative influence on individual’s mentality and psychic does not stop even after eliminating of an aggression source.
Regulation function is to solve contradictions on power and political leadership implementation in information-psychological area by using methods, which exclude necessity of direct military aggression. In modern society information-psychological warfare replaces this form of conflict relations in political struggle. In international relations there is a tendency in using dangerous potential of modern information-psychological warfare aiming at curbing direct military aggression, so called information-psychological curbing (it is an analogue of military curbing). So, it implies management of crisis situations using preventive actions of information-psychological influence on nation and governments in the potential area of conflicts.
Regulation of the social danger level of information-psychological warfare as a means of tough political compulsion and a form of uncontrolled violence could not come to the introduction of prohibition and limit system. Information-psychological warfare is based on using the same basic elements and means of social communication in its technologies of latent influence like other social processes. Thus, it cannot be eliminated as a social notion and a type of social conflict, but can be at the definite controlled by society level of social danger.
State information policy is important for regulating social danger of information-psychological warfare. However, modern state information policy of Russia is unable to protect Russian society from destroying influence of information-psychological warfare in connection with low readiness of Russian society to oppose actively to any attempts of manipulating social mentality. Whereas citizens are trying to understand the threat, which introduce information-psychological warfare, information-psychological warfare technologies influence not only on mentality, but on subconsciousness.
The scientific hypothesis of our research is that in conditions of information-psychological warfare it is essential to amend the concept of modern state information policy aiming at its adaptation to new conditions. We assume that it is impossible to eliminate information-psychological warfare as a permanent social notion at this evolution stage of society, but state regulation can provide the definite, controlled by society, level of social danger.
The inefficiency of modern state information policy in conditions of information-psychological warfare:
- requires amendment of the whole concept of modern information policy aiming at its adaptation to modern conditions, in which information society is building;
- points out peculiar conditions of its implementation and necessity of working out special methods and mechanisms of political influence, which are adequate to those revolutionary changes that take place within the system of social-political relations in modern society.
In conditions of information-psychological warfare the objective for forming of state information policy should be the search of patterns, principles, forms, and methods of political regulation. They help:
- to prepare society to counteract actively to information-psychological warfare;
- to counteract to information-psychological warfare at the state level with the assistance of institutes of civil society;
- to carry out setting goals, form an organizational structure, employ methods and resources for implementation of state management system in accordance with criteria on priority development in comparison with a system of information-psychological aggression (warfare) implementation; adequate counteraction to information-psychological warfare as a permanent social notion (conflict).
In conditions of psychological warfare the main function of state information policy is social protection from negative information-psychological influence and includes two main elements:
- counteraction to information-psychological warfare;
- information-psychological warfare management.
Concept of counteraction assumes that
- first, information-psychological warfare is an external factor in regard to the protected system. We are unable to influence on reasons of appearing of this notion, while it happens somewhere outside the protected system;
- second, by counteracting to warfare we interfere with patterns of forming and evolution of this particular information-political conflict, destroy normal temps of its evolution change conditions of its transformation from one stage of conflict evolution to another one. In principle, such interference may destroy psychological warfare evolution as political conflict and result in its political disorganization.
- third, any new information-political conflict is a new threat for the protected system. The more conflicts appear the more threats.
The basic lack of counteraction concept is that the target of counteraction is elimination or localization of information-political conflict in that place where it appeared. It is impossible under conditions of a variety of information-political conflicts; we struggle with some features of a new social notion – psychological warfare, but not with the notion itself.
Concept of psychological warfare management in information policy is based upon the principle that if something cannot be defeated, it should be organized and leaded. Concept of psychological warfare management is an activity aiming at changing system features of warfare in the selected direction with use of tools of external political influence. To our point of view, within the system of state information policy management of information-psychological warfare will be considered in current future as an important category of the activities in peculiar conditions.
Concept of psychological warfare management is aimed at reaching goals, which are unattainable for counteraction concept: if warfare can be managed, therefore it is not so important for social stability whether there are a lot of such conflicts or not in the political area of society. Thus, as soon as the similar conflict appears, it becomes a subject of political regulation, and therefore performs a definite social function in society. Despite the fact that modern information-psychological warfare is aggressive, it possesses some social functions. First, they are the following: ousting of traditional forms of military struggle from the area of international relations, so called information curbing. Use of these psychological warfare functions in the system of international relations (including restraining its destructive elements) suggests that psychological warfare is a tool of information policy. Moreover, information-political conflict management cannot be effective if there are a few conflicts. In case there is a single conflict, it behaves individually and it goes beyond the framework of basic statistical tendency and patterns, which information management takes into consideration. Thus, a variety of conflicts in the concept of psychological warfare management is not a hindrance, but the main condition for efficiency of this concept implementation.
New tendencies and patterns of state information policy implementation appear in conditions of information-psychological warfare:
1.1. Social adaptation of information-psychological warfare: information-psychological warfare evolution in the direction of strengthening its social function is capable to transform information-psychological warfare into one of the institutes of warfare into one of the institutes of information-political relations regulation.
1.2. Social reduction of conflict potential of information-psychological warfare: creating institutes of information society, which provide a leading evolution of information-political relations system of civil society in regard to modern forms and methods of information-psychological warfare, results in reduction of its conflict potential.
State information policy would reject in future praxis of searching and rejecting of objective contradictions, which lead to information-political conflicts, and would concentrate its attention on creating institutes of information society.
1.3. Object-subjective dualism of political conflicts in the information policy system: in information policy system political conflicts are regarded both as an object of information leadership and as the main tool of other political conflicts and processes management.
In future information policy would employ information-political conflicts as the tool of other political conflicts and processes management. It is within the framework of this concept a variety of institutional political conflicts, which are the tools of information management, define flexibility, multi choice, and efficiency of information policy.
1.4. Institualization of external information-psychological aggression: information-psychological warfare recognized by the system of information-psychological relations of an aggression object at the early stage becomes an institutional conflict, but recognized later becomes an object of information policy management.
Further state information policy would assist in intensive development and in working out measures of information-psychological warfare at the early stages (influencing on sources of aggression), their management at future stages.
New features of state information policy appear in conditions of information-psychological warfare:
- at this stage of social evolution it is impossible to eliminate information-psychological warfare as a permanent social notion, but it could be curbed at the definite controlled by society level of danger. In open civil society the single possibility of state control over this notion is information-psychological warfare management as an object of management aiming at reduction of its system features and its status to the level of institutional conflict;
- information-psychological warfare employs objective contradictions of social political system as an object of management. State information policy assists in creating information society, thus, provides leading evolution of information-political relations system of civil society in regard to current forms and methods of information-psychological warfare, eliminates or transforms latent contradictions, on which management warfare is based;
- information policy reveals truthful latent contradictions in social evolution, which form social relations, and it regards disturbance of political area (classic political conflicts) as indirect, that is an indicator of contradictions existence.
If one examines concept of psychological warfare management within the framework of sociological , statistical , conflict , and system-functional hypotheses, we will have the following picture.
One can divide different levels of information-psychological warfare management in the system of state information policy:
1. Psychological warfare management as a social notion:
- regulation of social danger of psychological warfare;
- strengthening of constructive social function of psychological warfare and reduction of its destructive social function (social adaptation);
2. Management of information-psychological warfare area as an area of political conflicts (statistic system):
- management of conflict potential;
- management of vector potential of psychological aggression;
- management of vector potential of psychological aggression (change of vector direction of psychological aggression or its compensation);
3. Psychological warfare management as a type of political conflict:
- perception management (at the individual’s level);
- communication management (at the level of separate individuals, groups, stratus);
- group management (at the level of groups);
- management of conflict dynamic;
- status reduction and system features of information-psychological warfare to the level of institutional conflict;
- disorganization of political conflict;
- institualization of psychological aggression.
4. Information-psychological warfare management as internal element of information policy system, use of psychological warfare as a tool of external and internal political regulation.
Literature:
1. Manoilo A. V. State Information Policy under Peculiar Conditions: monograph. – Moscow, MIPR, 2003, 388 pages.
2. Manoilo A. V., Petrenko A. I., Frolov D. B. State Information Policy under Information-Psychological Warfare Conditions: monograph. – Moscow: Goryachaya Linia-Telecom, 2003, 541 pages.
3. Veprintsev V.B., Manoilo A. V., Petrenko A. I., Frolov D. B. Information-Psychological Operations. Means, methods, technologies: Short encyclopedia – itenary. - Moscow: Goryachaya Linia-Telecom, 2004, 495 pages.
4. Site INFOPOLOTICA: www.infopolitica.w6.ru
5. Veprintsev V.B., Manoilo A. V. Evolution of Forms and Methods of Geopolitical Competition in Information Space., Moscow: Russia and Europe: information collaboration in conditions of globalization. Analytical journal of Federal Council of Federal Council of the Russian Federation, 2004, ¹ 11 (231), a special edition, p. 62-72.
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