Commentary
Information warfare is part of the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) strategy to “win without fighting”: to influence and convince adversary decision-makers, foreign leaders, and others of China’s peaceful intentions despite the reality of the obverse.
Information warfare facilitates the achievement of the CCP’s objectives (frequently achieved at the expense of others) through well-coordinated media, diplomatic, and other efforts aimed at preventing or delaying actions by other countries that would thwart Chinese plans.
Make no mistake. Although non-kinetic in nature, information warfare is real warfare: there are winners and losers, and the Chinese are out to win. If they succeed, Western freedoms and liberty will disappear. As Chinese general and strategist Sun Tzu wrote in “The Art of War” in the fifth century B.C.: “Warfare is the way of deception. Therefore, if able, appear unable, if active, appear not active, if near, appear far, if far, appear near.” Chinese information warfare has been employed for decades using Sun’s tactic to anesthetize the West and others in order to mask the CCP’s ongoing efforts to dominate the world in every conceivable way. This is warfare by other means….