Shared here by permission of the author, Information Operations from an Asian Perspective.
This article is a comparative study of the practice of state-sponsored influence activities in its
various forms (namely propaganda, public diplomacy, psychological operations, public
affairs, cyber warfare, electronic warfare and so on) in selected Asian countries (China,
Taiwan, Thailand and Japan). It highlights the state of Asian development, differences in
concepts, organization and application as compared to the Western models that today
dominate discussions on information operations and influence activity. By doing so, it
provides alternative ways of approaching Information Operations (IO) that might contribute
to the generation of challenges and solutions facing today’s policy makers. Finally, it will
serve to broaden the body of knowledge in influence activities to include both Eastern and
Western viewpoints.
Major James Yin of the Singapore Armed Forces and Phil Taylor of the University of Leeds examine China, Japan, and Taiwan “based on their ability to influence the balance of power in Asia-Pacific and their propensity to use cyber warfare” and Thailand because of its COIN operations against Muslim insurgents.
I love this, even if its “effect” is somewhat questionable:”There [Iraq], the SDF decorated water trucks with characters from a globally popular Japanese soccer cartoon, known as ‘Captain Majed’ in Arab countries. A
Japan Foreign Ministry official claimed the people there loved it while some even credited ‘Captain Majed’ with preventing attacks on Japanese trucks during its 2 ½-year mission.”
Perhaps in Afghanistan the US should have painted pictures of Rambo on its tanks.