A Study on the Role of the Media and Its Effect on the Identity of Muslims (Part 21)
Media and Soft War
In the previous parts, the importance of the concept and methods of soft war in the media was mentioned. In this article, we will discuss the goals, features, and strategies for dealing with soft war.
Just as members of the media can lead to the defeat of the enemy through their extraordinary intelligence and abilities, in soft war, preserving national interests, accurate portrayal, creating hope, enhancing national unity and cohesion, fostering dynamism and vitality in society, and effective media productions are essential.
Undoubtedly, the media is on the front line in soft war and can easily guide, monitor, and control important currents, while also becoming a creator of currents. Therefore, based on the primary nature of soft war, some of its most important goals can be outlined:
1. Destroying Beliefs and Identity: Strongly influencing the public thoughts of the target society through targeted and controlled news and information tools, a method the West has consistently utilized to advance its goals.
2. Attack on Politics: Aimed at rendering the targeted system ineffective and undermining the elements of that system.
3. Creating a Terrifying Image: Issues such as poverty, war, or a repressive foreign power are exaggerated to foster distrust and psychological insecurity, which ultimately leads to calls for surrender through the spread and fueling of rumors.
Features of Soft War
1. Emotion Provoking: Soft war manifests as mythmaking, symbol-making, and sensation-making by creating new values. It fully leverages society’s emotions, as one of its pillars is “emotion management.” This means attempting to manipulate the emotions and feelings of the target society to influence thoughts and ideas, create a change in beliefs, and ultimately incite a crisis.
2. Damage: Social, cultural, and economic harm is a maneuvering field in soft war. Enemies challenge society by identifying weak and harmful points.
3. Breaking Unity: The emergence of conflicts through soft war disturbs social solidarity and national unity, creating grounds for crises and internal conflicts. The destruction of national unity is a notable feature and consequence of soft war and psychological operations.
4. Doubt and Skepticism: Creating pessimism toward various issues is a fundamental principle. This operation involves cultivating doubt, despair, and skepticism. The enemy subtly creates doubts in the core beliefs of society, gradually widening the scope of these doubts to achieve fundamental changes in values and beliefs.
Some Solutions to Deal with the Enemy’s Soft and Media War
1. Public awareness through films, articles, documentaries, interviews, etc.
2. Monitoring the plans and actions of enemies in the media war by identifying related internal and regional factors, as well as necessary facilities and equipment.
3. Training and educating specialists to effectively address media war.
4. Conducting seminars and specialized meetings to identify and counter media war strategies.
5. Utilizing advanced media technology and new communication tools to combat media war.
6. Implementing mid-term and long-term planning to address the media war waged by the West and executing mutual media operations.
7. Promoting a culture of dialogue among different societal layers.
8. Enhancing media literacy.
These are some effective and practical solutions to counter the enemy’s soft and media war. With these strategies, it is possible to play a reciprocal and effective role, neutralize the enemy’s efforts and conspiracies, and instead infiltrate their strongholds to reveal the hidden truths obscured by media policies.
In any battle, it is often the strategical adjustments that change the outcome, positioning the ending of the story in favor of the other party.
Taking advantage of modern tools and methodologies from the Western world and skillfully and intelligently applying them against adversaries is significantly more effective and productive than relying on insider tactics and plans. It is well understood that the Western world is far more advanced and pioneering than the Islamic world in technology. Thus, rather than engaging in time-consuming competition to invent and produce new warfare and media tools, learning to utilize the existing media tools and soft war weapons from the Western world will prove more beneficial and less costly.
