Stories
Information Warfare: How Narratives & Perception Shape Modern Conflict
- •Wars are no longer fought on the battlefield alone; information, narratives, and perception are powerful tools in hybrid and grey-zone warfare.
- •Lt Gen S.A. Hasnain (Retd) at DEFCON 2026 explains the growing importance of information warfare in modern conflicts.
- •Drawing on Sun Tzu, Lt Gen Hasnain highlights how information influences public perception, shapes strategic narratives, and affects decision-making.
- •Strategic communication, information awareness, and countering competing narratives are crucial for national security.
- •Modern conflicts involve influencing what people see, believe, and understand, with information warfare operating alongside conventional military capabilities.
Key Questions Answered
Lt Gen S.A. Hasnain explains that in the age of hybrid and grey-zone warfare, information, narratives, and perception have become powerful tools that shape conflicts without requiring conventional military confrontation. He notes that modern conflicts involve efforts to influence what people see, believe, and understand across both battlefield operations and digital environments.
During his session at CNN-News18’s DEFCON 2026 Defence Conclave, Lt Gen Hasnain drew upon Sun Tzu's emphasis on deception to examine how information can influence public perception, shape strategic narratives, and affect decision-making during a conflict.
Lt Gen Ata Hasnain stated that Iran's ability to withstand sustained military pressure from the US is rooted in its resilience and its capability to shape the information environment around the conflict, rather than just weapons capabilities. He argued that US military projection has not translated into a collapse of Iran's ability to sustain resistance and maintain its national dignity.
