Piers Robinson is an expert on propaganda.
Dr Piers Robinson is a political scientist and currently a co-director of the Organisation for Propaganda Studies, convenor of the Working Group on Syria, Propaganda and Media, an associated researcher with the Working Group on Propaganda and the 9/11 Global ‘War on Terror’ and a member of Panda.
Propaganda refers to the systematic dissemination of information or ideas, often with a biased or misleading nature, to influence public opinion and shape people’s beliefs or behaviours.
It is typically employed by governments, organizations, or individuals with specific agendas or objectives.
Propaganda can take various forms, including advertisements, news articles, speeches, posters, or social media campaigns. Its goal is to manipulate people’s perceptions, emotions and attitudes towards a particular issue, person or ideology. It often utilises persuasive techniques, such as emotional appeals, selective presentation of facts, and repetition, to shape public opinion in a desired direction.
Piers focuses on, what’s known as, the “fog of war”, which is essentially the uncertainty in situational awareness experienced by participants in military operations.
“The fog of war” is a military term that refers to the uncertainty that commanders often encounter in the battlefield. The term acknowledges that it is very difficult, if not impossible, to fully understand or predict every factor that could affect the outcome of a military engagement.
- All information about the enemy’s forces, their positions, and their intentions might not be available or accurate.
- There might be challenges in communication among various units in an army due to technical issues, enemy intervention, or chaos in the battlefield.
- The situation on the ground can change very quickly and unexpectedly.
- People make mistakes, and in the heat of battle, the chances of mistakes can increase.
- Elements such as weather, the morale of troops, unexpected reinforcements for the enemy, or even something as unpredictable as a disease outbreak can drastically affect the course of a battle.
The term itself was popularised by Carl von Clausewitz, a Prussian general and military theorist, in his book On War, in which he talks about the concept of war being shrouded in a “fog of uncertainty”.
In other words, when there is a war, there is mass propaganda.
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