Perception Management: A Core IO Capability
Abstract
This thesis postulates that in today's media environment, with adversaries skillfully using propaganda to skirt nations' resolve, Perception Management is key to military success and should be an Information Operations (IO) Core Capability. The Kargil conflict of 1999 was a political victory for India, while from the Pakistani perspective it was a successful tactical operation turned into a political-diplomatic setback. Pakistan's tactical successes in Kargil were not translated into strategic gains due to a lack of clarity over policy; hence, no real Perception Management offensive was mounted. On the contrary, India hyped the situation with the West using its media as a key element of Perception Management to win substantial political support. Eventually, Pakistani forces had to withdraw in the face of immense international pressure. The author contends that, because only the Indian disinformation about Kargil was publicized, the real history of the conflict became obscured. It is the central aim of this thesis to present the Pakistani case regarding the Kargil conflict, and to provide a balanced viewpoint of it through Pakistani eyes.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Sep 01, 2007
- Accession Number
- ADA474371
Entities
People
- Khyber Zaman
Organizations
- Naval Postgraduate School