Offensive Realism and Cognitive Warfare: An Analysis of U.S. Global Strategy in the Information Age

Strategic competition has redefined great power relations. The US, like other great powers, are pursuing advantages over rival states in power and influence. One area of strategic competition concerns great powers’ abilities to shape the global narratives and information. Cognitive warfare is a strategy to achieve these goals. With the rapid development of information technology, cognitive tactics have become a key means for countries to compete to influence the international stage. This tactic has played a crucial role in shaping international public opinion, influencing the formulation and implementation of policies, and in intervening in major countries elections. The purpose of this study is to analyze how the United States positions cognitive warfare in its grand strategy and how it offensively uses cognitive warfare to shape international outcomes. This study highlights the importance that the United States attaches to technology and information warfare in its national strategy, aiming to enhance the United States' global influence in great power competition. It relies on offensive realism theory to explore how the United States integrates cognitive warfare into its strategies for great power competition. The study will analyze official documents released by the U.S. government and other relevant policy literature. In addition, the study evaluates the technological and tactical innovations adopted by the United States in the field of cognitive warfare and their actual applications.