6
Media, medical intelligence and hybrid war
Authors: Oana M. Ciobanu
Number of views: 310
Contemporary hybrid war is a novelty in that it is taken to populated conflict zones, with the
participation of the population, under the eyes of the international community. Thus, according to
many authors, the most serious threats to the United States, including to its NATO dimension and to its
partnership with Europe, would come from extremist groups and their ideology, fueled by poor urban
areas of the world, where youth faces great economic and social problems, and is militating for a
change. These unconventional actors can operate beyond state control by circumventing international
borders, norms and agreements. Some of these belong to global terrorist networks, and others cooperate
with criminal elements to destabilize certain areas. The hybrid confrontation with these groups
will become "a clash beyond the physical elements of the conflict, in which media manipulation, the
use of the internet and the integration of information operations with strategic communication
programs are as important as weapon systems on the battlefield."
Crises generated in the context of a hybrid war are events characterized by low probability and
important consequences that threaten an organization for its most profound purposes. Because of their
low probability, these events defy any interpretation and require a sustained effort to understand and
adapt the reactions. Crises affecting social groups differ in their causes and duration. Obviously,
because of the multitude of types of crises, human reason can only play a limited role in their
development. However, they trigger human action, which can turn small deviations into major crises.
Crisis and conflict management involves very complex systems of political, diplomatic, social, economic,
cultural, international, military and other actions.
Such a system could be structured on political, diplomatic, social, economic,
informational, military, psychological and cultural components and could include the
following types of action: on the causes; on effects; on the phenomenon; on value
systems; on crisis-generating strongpoints (critical areas); on vulnerable sites; on the
leaders.