The Tools of Political Warfare : part1

The Softer Side

Political warfare utilizes all instruments available to a nation to achieve its national objectives, short of war. The best tool of political warfare is "effective policy forcefully explained",or more directly, "overt policy forcefully backed." But political warfare is used, as one leading thinker on the topic has explained, "when public relations statements and gentle, public diplomacy-style persuasion - the policies of 'soft power' - fail to win the needed sentiments and actions" around the world. The major way political warfare is waged is through propaganda. The essence of these operations can be either overt or covert. "White" or overt propaganda comes from a known source. "Gray" propaganda, on the other hand, is the "semiofficial amplification of a government's voice."Radio Free Europe and Radio Liberty are examples of "gray" propaganda during the Cold War. Finally, "black" propaganda originates from an unknown source. The key to black propaganda is the fact that it most often "appears to come from a disinterested source when in fact it does not."

There are many ways, or channels, which can be used to transmit propaganda. Our modern world allows for the sophisticated use of technology to further the goals of political warfare and disseminate information to a vast number of people. The most basic channel is the spoken word. This can include live speeches and radio and television broadcasts. Overt or covert radio broadcasting can be an especially useful tool. The printed word is also very powerful, including pamphlets, leaflets, books, magazines, political cartoons, and planted newspaper articles (clandestine or otherwise). Subversion, agents of influence, spies, journalists, and "useful idiots" can all be used as powerful tools in political warfare.