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Jonas Tögel: Kognitive Kriegsführung – Neueste Manipulationstechniken als Waffengattung der NATO

WIR - Wissen ist relevant・89 minutes read

Jonas Tögel's lecture on cognitive warfare reveals its significance in contemporary conflicts and highlights the manipulative techniques utilized by NATO as well as historical figures like Edward Bernays in shaping public perception through propaganda. He emphasizes the urgent need for critical analysis of media narratives and understanding the psychological strategies involved to maintain autonomy and promote rational discourse in democracies.

Insights

  • Jonas Tögel, an American scientist and propaganda researcher, highlights cognitive warfare as a significant NATO strategy that manipulates public perception and is increasingly relevant in everyday life, with its documentation dating back to 2020 or 2021.
  • Cognitive warfare is described as a sophisticated form of propaganda, with roots in the theories of Sigmund Freud and Edward Bernays, who emphasized the unconscious influences on behavior and the manipulation of public opinion to serve those in power.
  • Tögel stresses the importance of critical media literacy, equipping individuals with analytical tools to recognize the often-invisible effects of cognitive warfare, which can shape beliefs and attitudes without immediate awareness.
  • The text illustrates how propaganda techniques, such as emotional appeals and framing, have been historically utilized to influence public sentiment during conflicts, including the ongoing war in Ukraine, where narratives are crafted to justify military actions.
  • The emergence of cognitive warfare reflects a shift towards psychological strategies in modern conflicts, where controlling narratives and perceptions is as crucial as traditional military successes, leading to the establishment of a new "human domain" in warfare.
  • Tögel advocates for personal empowerment and mutual support in resisting cognitive warfare, urging individuals to engage in rational discourse and recognize the dignity of all parties in conflicts to foster understanding and peace.

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Recent questions

  • What is cognitive warfare?

    Cognitive warfare refers to advanced manipulation techniques aimed at influencing perceptions and behaviors, often used in modern conflicts. It encompasses strategies like propaganda, digital manipulation, and psychological tactics to dominate narratives and control public opinion. This form of warfare is recognized by organizations like NATO as crucial in contemporary military operations, emphasizing the importance of understanding psychological strategies alongside traditional combat methods. Cognitive warfare operates on the premise that shaping thoughts and feelings can be as significant as physical confrontations, making it a vital area of focus in modern geopolitical dynamics.

  • How does propaganda influence public opinion?

    Propaganda influences public opinion by shaping narratives and emotions through strategic communication techniques. It often mixes factual information with persuasive messaging to evoke specific feelings, leading to deep-seated beliefs that can be difficult to change. Historical examples illustrate how propaganda has been used to justify military actions and demonize enemies, creating a unified public sentiment that supports government agendas. By framing issues in particular ways, propaganda can manipulate perceptions, making it essential for individuals to critically assess the information they receive to avoid being swayed by biased narratives.

  • What are the effects of digital manipulation?

    Digital manipulation can significantly alter perceptions and behaviors by using data analytics to target individuals with tailored messages. This technique leverages personal information gathered from online activities to predict preferences and influence decisions, often without the individual's awareness. The implications of digital manipulation are profound, as it can shape public opinion on a large scale, affecting everything from consumer behavior to political beliefs. As technology advances, the potential for misuse in cognitive warfare raises ethical concerns about privacy and the autonomy of individuals in the digital age.

  • Why is critical thinking important in media consumption?

    Critical thinking is essential in media consumption because it enables individuals to analyze and evaluate the information presented to them, particularly in an era of pervasive propaganda and misinformation. By questioning the sources, motives, and framing of news stories, consumers can better discern biases and manipulative tactics that may distort reality. This analytical approach fosters a more informed public, capable of resisting cognitive warfare strategies that aim to control perceptions and opinions. Ultimately, cultivating critical thinking skills empowers individuals to engage in rational discourse and make decisions based on a comprehensive understanding of issues.

  • How can individuals resist cognitive warfare?

    Individuals can resist cognitive warfare by actively seeking diverse perspectives and engaging in critical analysis of the information they encounter. This involves questioning the narratives presented by media and political leaders, understanding the economic and social implications of military actions, and recognizing the emotional appeals used in propaganda. Setting realistic personal goals and finding supportive communities can also enhance resilience against manipulation. By fostering awareness and promoting rational discourse, individuals can reclaim agency in their thoughts and actions, ultimately contributing to a more informed and engaged society capable of countering the effects of cognitive warfare.

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Summary

00:00

Cognitive Warfare and Modern Propaganda Insights

  • Jonas Tögel, an American scientist and propaganda researcher, introduces a lecture on cognitive warfare, emphasizing its relevance to daily life and its manipulation techniques as a NATO weapon, which has been officially documented since 2020 or 2021.
  • Tögel mentions that while he can provide a detailed overview in a 90-minute lecture, a more comprehensive understanding can be gained from his 250-page book, which contains in-depth discussions on cognitive warfare.
  • Cognitive warfare is defined as the most advanced form of manipulation, as stated by French defense expert Marie Pierre Rayond, and is part of NATO's innovation competition aimed at enhancing awareness among its leadership.
  • The lecture aims to provide attendees with analytical tools ("glasses") to critically assess current media reporting and recognize the influence of cognitive warfare, which is often invisible until its effects are felt.
  • Tögel explains that cognitive warfare is fundamentally a form of propaganda, which he connects to historical figures like Sigmund Freud, who highlighted the unconscious influences on human behavior, and Edward Bernays, who is recognized as the father of modern public relations.
  • Edward Bernays, a significant figure in the development of propaganda, argued that public relations involves the "production of consent," manipulating public opinion to align with the desires of those in power, undermining democratic principles.
  • Bernays' work, particularly his 1928 book titled "Propaganda," illustrates how modern propaganda was used during the World Wars to influence mass attitudes, leveraging knowledge of human psychology and mass media to manipulate public perception.
  • Tögel discusses how the term "propaganda" has fallen out of favor due to its negative connotations, particularly associated with its use in World War I and II, leading to the adoption of euphemistic terms like "public relations" and "strategic communication."
  • The lecture highlights Bernays' assertion that propaganda is essential in democratic societies, as it helps manage public opinion and maintain social order, despite Tögel's disagreement with this view, emphasizing the contrast between propaganda and true democracy.
  • Tögel concludes by suggesting that the influence of unseen forces in shaping public opinion, as described by Bernays, raises questions about transparency and governance, hinting at the potential for conspiracy theories in understanding modern propaganda dynamics.

15:13

The Power of Propaganda in American Culture

  • The typical American breakfast, often associated with bacon and eggs, was not a natural cultural development but rather a marketing strategy orchestrated by the Beech-Nut company, which sought to increase bacon sales through a campaign led by Edward Bernays.
  • Bernays collaborated with doctors to promote a scientific study that questioned the healthiness of a light breakfast consisting of dry bread and milk, suggesting instead that a hearty breakfast with bacon and eggs was healthier, which led to widespread media coverage.
  • The campaign resulted in 5,000 doctors endorsing the idea that bacon was a suitable breakfast choice, influencing public perception and consumption despite individual preferences against meat.
  • Bernays' campaign has had a lasting impact, establishing bacon and eggs as the quintessential American breakfast, demonstrating how propaganda can shape cultural norms and persist beyond the original campaign's creator.
  • The text discusses the nature of propaganda, highlighting that it often mixes opinion with information and aims to influence emotions rather than engage in rational debate, which can lead to deep-seated beliefs that are hard to change.
  • The concept of "soft power" is introduced, contrasting it with "hard power"; soft power influences behavior without coercion, while hard power relies on force, which can provoke resistance and backlash.
  • An example of soft power is illustrated through a hypothetical scenario where emotional appeals, such as showing a suffering child, can elicit voluntary donations, contrasting with the coercive approach of hard power.
  • The text references the historical context of military power, noting that empires, including the Roman Empire, expanded through hard power but ultimately faced resistance that led to their decline, suggesting a shift towards soft power in modern warfare.
  • The failure of the war on terror is analyzed, emphasizing that despite overwhelming military force, the inability to win the hearts and minds of local populations resulted in a loss, with significant civilian casualties reported between 23,000 and 48,000 due to airstrikes.
  • The emergence of cognitive warfare is discussed as a new focus for NATO, emphasizing the importance of psychological strategies in modern conflicts, where maintaining morale and public perception is as crucial as battlefield success.

28:52

Cognitive Warfare and the Human Domain

  • Cognitive warfare involves strategies like cyberattacks and public manipulation to dominate narratives and influence perceptions, highlighting its serious implications as recognized by NATO, which is planning to establish a sixth theater of war focused on the human domain.
  • The existing five theaters of war include land, sea, air, cyberspace, and space, with the internet being crucial for military communication since 2016, and the introduction of space as a theater since 2019.
  • The new sixth theater of war, referred to as the human domain or cognitive domain, emphasizes the human psyche as a battleground, aiming to control thoughts and feelings, likening it to a remote control for the brain.
  • Techniques for psychological manipulation, including those from the CIA's MK Ultra program, have been developed to break individuals psychologically, indicating the radical nature of cognitive warfare.
  • Yuval Noah Harari, an Israeli historian and advisor to the World Economic Forum, discusses the emerging ability to "hack" individuals by using extensive data and computer skills to predict and manipulate behavior, aligning with NATO's concerns.
  • Cognitive warfare is categorized into four facets: war propaganda, digital manipulation, cultural manipulation, and future technologies, with war propaganda being the primary focus for analysis.
  • Historical examples of propaganda, such as the U.S. Committee on Public Information established in April 1917, illustrate how propaganda techniques have been used to influence public opinion and support for war.
  • The Creel Commission, led by George Creel, utilized over 75 million entries to disseminate propaganda, demonstrating the scale and effectiveness of their efforts to shape public perception during World War I.
  • Framing techniques in language can significantly influence perceptions, as demonstrated through examples that show how different word choices can evoke specific emotional responses and shape narratives.
  • The use of framing in communication can either highlight or obscure the reality of events, such as referring to civilian casualties as "collateral damage," which diminishes the perceived severity of the situation and alters public sentiment.

42:56

The Evolution of War Propaganda Techniques

  • The narrative surrounding war has evolved, with historical claims such as "a war to end all wars" being used as propaganda to justify military actions and promote democracy, despite their lack of truth.
  • Propaganda techniques have been consistently employed throughout history, including the creation of a media environment that suppresses dissenting voices and promotes a unified public opinion, as seen during World War I.
  • The New York Times in 1917 featured statements from former War Minister Il Rud, who advocated for the silencing of critics of the war, reflecting a broader trend of using fear to control public sentiment.
  • Grudge propaganda, as described by Harold Lwell, involves portraying the enemy as cruel and inhumane, which has been a successful tactic in various conflicts, including World War I.
  • The Kill Commission's portrayal of German soldiers in the U.S. included horrific and exaggerated stories, such as the mutilation of Belgian children, aimed at demonizing the enemy and inciting hatred.
  • Techniques of dehumanization and personification of the enemy have been used historically, with leaders being depicted as the sole culprits of war, as exemplified by the representation of the German Emperor as a devil figure.
  • The effectiveness of propaganda lies in its ability to create a unified narrative, which can persist even after the war, leading to long-lasting animosity, as seen in the anti-German sentiment in the U.S. post-World War I.
  • Current conflicts, such as the war in Ukraine, continue to showcase the use of propaganda, with both Ukrainian and Russian narratives framing the conflict in ways that support their respective positions and justify military actions.
  • The Western narrative presents Ukraine as a defender of democracy against Russian aggression, while the Russian narrative frames the conflict as a defense against NATO expansion, highlighting the importance of critically questioning both sides.
  • The media's portrayal of atrocities in Ukraine, including claims of civilian targeting by Russian soldiers, serves to reinforce the narrative of inhumanity, which is crucial for maintaining public support for military actions and arms deliveries.

57:24

Media Narratives and Empathy in Conflict

  • The text discusses the importance of targeting women and children in media narratives to effectively convey messages about atrocities, particularly in the context of the Ukraine conflict, emphasizing the emotional impact of images that evoke empathy, such as focusing on a woman's eyes in a photograph depicting suffering.
  • It highlights the concept of the "identifiable victim effect," where naming individuals, like a 65-year-old woman named Anna who fled with her family, enhances emotional engagement and empathy compared to abstract statistics about mass casualties.
  • The text critiques the use of language in media to manipulate perceptions of conflict, noting how demonization and dehumanization of enemies are employed by both Western and Russian narratives to justify actions and create a moral divide.
  • It points out that cognitive warfare is a documented strategy used by NATO, while also acknowledging that other countries, including Russia and China, have their own manipulation programs, complicating the understanding of global propaganda.
  • An example is given regarding the November 15, 2022, incident in Poland, where a Russian missile reportedly caused deaths, highlighting the potential for miscommunication and propaganda that could escalate tensions, particularly regarding NATO's Article 5 defense clause.
  • The text emphasizes the significance of accurate reporting and the dangers of inflammatory rhetoric, citing a German politician's call to take the war to Russia, which could lead to severe consequences, including the risk of a third world war.
  • It discusses NATO's "Steadfast Defender" military exercise, the largest since the Cold War, involving around 90,000 soldiers, which simulates a collective defense response to an attack on a NATO member, underscoring the seriousness of military preparedness in the current geopolitical climate.
  • The narrative also touches on the challenges faced by journalists in conflict zones, particularly in the Israel-Palestine conflict, where the killing of reporters complicates the dissemination of unbiased information, leading to a war of propaganda.
  • The text critiques the framing and dehumanization tactics used by leaders on both sides of conflicts, such as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's comparison of adversaries to "wild animals," which serves to activate a "war against terror" narrative and devalue the humanity of the enemy.
  • Finally, it stresses the need for critical examination of statements made by political figures and the importance of recognizing the dignity of individuals on both sides of a conflict, advocating for honest reporting and understanding amidst the fog of war.

01:12:27

Violence Propaganda and Technology in Warfare

  • The text discusses the historical context of violence and sacrifice in conflicts, highlighting that the Vietnamese lost 3.5 million people during their struggle against the Americans, while Afghanistan has endured similar sacrifices over 130 years, suggesting a pattern of violence that could be reconsidered for peace.
  • The author critiques a propagandistic viewpoint that equates national liberation with the acceptance of casualties, arguing that this perspective shows a lack of respect for life and perpetuates a cycle of violence, particularly in the context of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
  • The text emphasizes the role of propaganda in shaping perceptions of conflict, noting that groups like Hamas use narratives of strength and resistance to justify violence, while opposing sides label them as terrorists, creating a spiral of escalating verbal and physical violence.
  • The author suggests that modern cognitive warfare allows for participatory propaganda through the Internet, enabling individuals to voice their opinions and advocate for peace with minimal financial resources, contrasting this with past media limitations.
  • An example of digital manipulation is provided, illustrating how personal data can be used to predict behaviors and preferences, such as the case of Target's marketing strategies that identified a teenage girl's pregnancy through her shopping habits, showcasing the power of data analytics.
  • The concept of "shadow text" is introduced, explaining that individuals unknowingly contribute personal information online, which can be analyzed to create detailed profiles, as demonstrated by the use of Facebook likes in political campaigns.
  • The text discusses the psychological technique of inoculation, originally developed during the Cold War to prevent soldiers from adopting foreign ideologies, which is now applied to educate young people about misinformation and conspiracy theories through targeted learning programs.
  • The author raises concerns about the ethical implications of using advanced technologies for psychological manipulation, including the potential for military applications and the control of public perception through data analysis.
  • Future technologies are explored, including brain-reading headbands that can interpret neural activity, suggesting a shift towards using thoughts as data, which raises questions about privacy and autonomy.
  • The text concludes with a discussion on nanotechnology and precision pathologies, indicating the potential for developing targeted biological agents that could disrupt specific crops in adversarial nations, highlighting the intersection of technology and warfare.

01:26:44

Cognitive Warfare and the Fight for Autonomy

  • The text discusses the development of bioweapons that target specific population groups based on DNA, highlighting concerns raised by Putin regarding the USA's collection of genetic samples from Russians and the potential implications of such actions.
  • A document from the Dutch army, referred to as z 203, outlines the use of neural nanotechnology to connect the human brain to computers via nanorobots introduced through the bloodstream, enabling the application of artificial intelligence directly to human thought processes.
  • The concept of cognitive warfare is introduced as a modern form of soft power, with historical warnings from authors like Aldous Huxley, who emphasized the need for consent from the governed to maintain power and cautioned against manipulating human emotions and physiology.
  • The text emphasizes the importance of enlightenment and awareness in countering false propaganda, suggesting that understanding the techniques used in cognitive warfare is essential for individuals to resist manipulation and maintain their autonomy.
  • NATO's cognitive warfare relies on the public's ignorance of its existence and the reluctance to acknowledge personal susceptibility to these techniques, which can be likened to puppetry where individuals are controlled by unseen strings.
  • Practical steps to counter cognitive warfare include analyzing diverse perspectives on conflicts, such as examining statements from various political leaders and understanding the economic implications of military actions, like the proposed increase in armament spending from 100 billion to 300 billion.
  • Individuals are encouraged to set small, realistic goals to regain a sense of agency and direction in their lives, emphasizing the importance of personal empowerment and self-awareness in overcoming feelings of helplessness.
  • The text advocates for finding at least one supportive person to share the journey of resisting propaganda, highlighting that mutual support can be more effective than large groups in combating cognitive warfare.
  • A call to action is made for rational discourse in democracies, promoting the idea that recognizing the dignity of all individuals involved in conflicts can help overcome cognitive warfare and foster peace and understanding among diverse groups.
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