Title: Disinformation and Reflexive Control: The New Cold War – Georgetown Security Studies Review
Headings: Disinformation and Reflexive Control: The New Cold War
Disinformation and Reflexive Control: The New Cold War
Reflexive Control
One Piece of the Puzzle
Distinguishing Truth From Falsehood

Content: xii] Psychological studies show that when the brain is exposed to the same information continuously, it begins to perceive that information as true—regardless of conflicting or contrary evidence. [ xiii] Therefore, merely pointing out inconsistencies or presenting evidence to disprove false claims will be ineffective in countering Russian disinformation. To ‘win the information war’ and combat Russian influence in our political process, the United States must invest in cybersecurity, discredit platforms that have been shown to propagate false information, raise awareness on the psychological effects of disinformation, and cooperate with its allies to generate pro-West content. Investing in cybersecurity includes strengthening policies to protect our national databases, better incorporating cyber into our war and national security strategies, and facilitating public-private cooperation to combat disinformation on social media. Discrediting fake news platforms and raising awareness on the psychological effects will be more difficult, because it requires training people to recognize truth from falsehood. Further research should be done by universities and think tanks to distinguish legitimate from fake news platforms and how to educate oneself on the psychological effects of disinformation. Lastly, in addition to clarifying and disputing disinformation, the United States and its allies should actively work to generate consistent, factual content that supports Western objectives and targets the same audiences that Russian disinformation targets. In short, the United States needs to spend more time dissecting reflexive control as a concept to understand Russia’s holistic view of warfare and recognize that Russia’s disinformation campaign is not an isolated incident, but a new Cold War. [i] David Folkenflik,“Delusions or Deceptions? White House ‘Alternate Facts’ Rile Press,” National Public Radio, January 23, 2017, http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/01/23/511160267/delusions-or-deceptions-white-house-alternative-facts-rile-press.