We have all heard of propaganda, political warfare and sharp power. But what do these terms consist of? Let's analyze it.
Political warfare or political war
El political warfare or political war is the use of means and tools of a political nature in order to get a third party to do their will.
To understand this, we must first know what is known as political, which is used here to describe the relationship between governments and citizens.
It should be noted that every political war implies, in one sense or another, subversion. (Smith, 1969)
The main element of this type of “war” is the use of images, words, symbols and ideas to shape the will of the perceiver..
We find two types of tools that are used in the political warfare: on the one hand the propaganda, which we will now talk about; and on the other hand operations paramilitaries.
Propaganda
Propaganda is a materialization of political warfare.
It is a concept widely discussed in the academic world and is defined as the manipulation of relevant symbols to manage the attitude of the population.
These symbols can be of various types: images, words, posters, movies, books... The important thing is that citizens perceive them (Lasswell, 1927).
It is very important not to confuse the term propaganda with cultural diplomacy, since the latter is not manipulated by governments and the civilian population plays an important role in it.
sharp power
Regarding Sharp Power is a form of approach to international relations consisting of the use of manipulation and censorship to, in some way, weaken the institutions of an enemy state..
The term “sharp” is used for its ability to pierce and penetrate the political and information systems of the countries against which it is directed..
This type of manipulation represents a great threat to current democracies, as they end up degrading their institutions and, therefore, the entire political system. (Walker, 2018)
It is worth highlighting the recent use of computer “bots” To carry out this manipulation, responsible for disseminating news and speeches that create tensions and divisions among citizens, always being false.
We found two recent examples of the use of sharp power.
Examples of Sharp Power uses
On the one hand, Russian interference in the elections of other countries, such as what occurred in the past elections in the United States.
On the other hand, China has also been using this type of power in countries like New Zealand or Australia.
Now that we know the definition of each concept we can get to know their similarities and differences.
Similarities of propaganda, political warfare and sharp power
As for their similarities we can say that These three terms refer to indirect ways of gaining power over another State..
His ultimate will is shape the will of others through manipulation or censorship so that they either behave as you want, or to weaken the political stability of a regime (subversion).
It is also worth noting that they are similar in terms of means, since they all use different symbols to achieve their purpose.
Differences in propaganda, political warfare and sharp power
Regarding their differences, We can say that the terms Political warfare y sharp power are much broader than the term propaganda, which is a Sharp Power tool.
On the other hand, While the objective of the first two is to influence the intention of a third party to do what is desired, the ultimate goal of Sharp Power is to weaken the institutions of another State.
Therefore, Political warfare, Sharp power y propaganda They are different ways of attacking another country in a non-direct way.
Graduated in Law and International Relations. Relateypunto analyst. She is interested in geopolitics, security and international conflicts.
