In light of the ongoing events and developments on the international and regional scenes, public awareness has become one of the main priorities that Egyptian society must place at the forefront of its concerns, particularly as the nature of modern warfare continues to evolve from traditional military confrontations toward targeting populations from within and undermining their confidence in their countries’ institutions, leaders and armed forces. In this context, the importance of the topics discussed in one of the lectures at the NATO Defense College in Brussels, the Belgian capital, becomes particularly evident. The lecture examined Egypt’s historical experience following the June 5, 1967 war and the important example it provided of the ability of peoples to protect their countries and preserve their unity despite the severity of defeats and challenges.
The lecture began by referring to the Six-Day War, which took place on June 5, 1967, during which Israel succeeded in defeating the Egyptian army and occupying the entire Egyptian Sinai Peninsula. This prompted the Egyptian president at the time, Gamal Abdel Nasser, to announce his resignation from the presidency on June 9, just four days after the defeat, accepting political and historical responsibility for it.
The introduction to the lecture then raised a fundamental question about what happened after the Egyptian army’s defeat and President Gamal Abdel Nasser’s announcement that he was stepping down from power: Did the Egyptian state collapse?
The answer was clear: No.
The lecture then sought to identify the reasons behind the resilience of the Egyptian state despite the severe ordeal and major military defeat it had endured. It reached a fundamental conclusion: the Egyptian people did not collapse or surrender. Instead, they stood firm in the face of defeat, challenged its consequences and demonstrated the strength of their unity by rejecting President Gamal Abdel Nasser’s resignation and insisting on his return to power, while continuing to support their army despite the defeat it had suffered.
The lecture delivered in Brussels concluded with a highly significant truth: peoples represent one of the most important sources of a state’s strength. The unity of a people, their awareness and their faith in their homeland constitute the essential foundation upon which a state relies when confronting crises and threats.
Today, the world is experiencing a new phase of conflicts and wars known as fourth- and fifth-generation warfare. Wars are no longer conducted in the traditional manner familiar to previous generations, which relied on destroying enemy armies through direct confrontations between tanks, artillery and various weapons. Although the main objectives of wars remain unchanged, namely weakening states, destroying their capabilities and bringing down their regimes and institutions, the means of achieving these objectives have undergone significant changes. They increasingly rely on targeting populations and weakening their ability to withstand challenges and maintain unity.
Experience has demonstrated that destroying a tank or an artillery piece, or even defeating an army in a military battle, does not necessarily mean the collapse of a state if that army is backed by a strong and united people who possess awareness, determination and the ability to overcome crises. This is precisely why the lecture on fourth- and fifth-generation warfare at the NATO Defense College in Brussels, Belgium, was so important, as it explained how populations have become the primary targets in many modern conflicts.
In today’s world, some countries develop fourth-generation warfare strategies that directly target populations through attempts to undermine their confidence in their countries, governments and presidents, while creating divisions between them and their armed forces and national institutions. These strategies make use of modern technology and advanced communication tools to implement their plans.
These methods subsequently evolved into fifth-generation warfare, which relies primarily on social media platforms, followed by the use of traditional media to direct public opinion and influence its trends and positions.
Electronic battalions are among the most prominent tools used in fourth- and fifth-generation warfare. As their name suggests, they consist of large groups of social media accounts associated with content and the names of celebrities and public figures, such as athletes and artists, or with various entities such as sports clubs and religious and ethnic groups. This enables them to attract tens of thousands and sometimes millions of followers.
These accounts operate according to systematic plans aimed at spreading lies and rumors and directing them toward specific objectives designed to create divisions within society and fuel conflicts among its members, whether on religious, ethnic or social grounds. Electronic battalions then take responsibility for republishing this information on a wide scale and repeatedly, amplifying its impact and creating confusion and anger among citizens, ultimately seeking to achieve their final objective: weakening the state and destabilizing it.
In reality, these methods are no longer merely random practices on social media platforms. They have become subjects of study and training through specialized courses and programs at numerous strategic studies centers around the world. The aim is to understand the mechanisms used to implement plans targeting populations, how rumors and falsehoods are manufactured and disseminated, and how political and economic circumstances facing countries can be exploited to achieve specific objectives.
These strategies rely on studying the internal conditions of each country and identifying the problems facing its citizens. These issues are then exploited through media and psychological means by spreading misleading information and presenting facts in a distorted manner, thereby contributing to the deepening of crises and increasing distrust between citizens and state institutions.
Perhaps the most important means of confronting these forms of warfare is for states to commit to full transparency in presenting facts and providing citizens with accurate information. We live in an open world in which it has become impossible to conceal any information or event for extended periods, particularly given the widespread use of social media platforms that transmit news, images and video footage as events unfold.
As for the most powerful means of confronting lies and rumors, it is awareness. This is the objective I have chosen as the title of today’s article, based on my conviction that building a society capable of distinguishing truth from misinformation and verified news from malicious rumors is of vital importance.
For awareness efforts to achieve their intended objectives, the most appropriate means must be selected to reach all segments of society, particularly the younger generations. Many young people have abandoned reading newspapers and magazines and following radio and television, relying almost entirely on social media platforms, which have become the primary source of information for a large segment of them, despite the risks associated with the spread of lies, rumors and inaccurate information.
Although the state has attempted to use social media platforms to respond to lies and rumors and clarify the facts, the capabilities of these efforts often cannot match the scale and strength of opposing electronic battalions or the extensive resources they possess for publishing content, influencing public opinion and reaching large numbers of users. Consequently, raising awareness has become an urgent national necessity that cannot be postponed. It must be carried out through an organized and systematic plan that ensures citizens of all ages and cultural and social backgrounds are reached.
It is important for these efforts to begin in schools by allocating a short period every day for awareness activities, even if it is just five minutes during the morning school assembly. This time could be used to present simple and accurate information about national issues, the challenges facing the state and how to deal with news and information circulating on social media platforms.
It is also necessary to make use of national celebrations and occasions to organize meetings and seminars in schools and universities, with the aim of strengthening students’ national awareness and familiarizing them with their country’s history and the challenges and dangers it faces. Universities, in particular, bring together a large number of young people who represent the future of the state. They must not be left vulnerable to misleading information they may encounter on social media without being equipped with the necessary tools to verify it and understand its implications.
Out of our belief in our responsibility toward young people and our commitment to playing our part in spreading national awareness, I took advantage of the celebration marking the fiftieth anniversary of the glorious October War to visit more than 26 Egyptian universities and deliver lectures to students about the threats and challenges surrounding our beloved homeland.
I was surprised by the large number of young people attending these lectures and by the extent of their interaction with the topics discussed and the debates surrounding the information presented. One of the things that particularly caught my attention was the comments made by many students after the lectures, when they confirmed that they had not previously known much of the information presented.
I do not blame young people for being unaware of these facts and information if they have not been given the opportunity to access them through means and tools suited to their era, their interests and the way they acquire knowledge. Responsibility does not rest solely with young people, but also with the institutions responsible for awareness, education, media and culture, which must seek more effective ways of reaching them.
Therefore, awareness efforts must also extend to young people and families through youth centers and clubs spread across the various governorates. These institutions are important venues for direct communication with citizens and for organizing meetings, seminars, and cultural and national activities.
We must also not overlook the important role of religious institutions and pulpits in spreading awareness, correcting misconceptions and explaining the dangers facing the state’s national security. I was particularly pleased with the initiative launched by the Minister of Awqaf to organize cultural forums for religious preachers in all Egyptian governorates, with the aim of raising their awareness of national security risks and strengthening their role in conveying accurate knowledge to citizens. I had the honor of participating in the first session of this cultural forum in Cairo Governorate.
Nor should we overlook the role that civil associations and civil society organizations can play, given their ability to communicate and interact directly with different segments of society and raise awareness among their members, particularly young people, about national issues and the challenges facing the state.
Cultural palaces spread throughout all parts of Egypt also represent important resources that can be utilized during the coming period and transformed into effective platforms for raising awareness through engaging and enlightened approaches. This can be achieved by organizing seminars, meetings and cultural events that contribute to building citizens’ awareness and helping them understand the reality of the events and developments taking place around them.
The importance of these efforts is even greater at the present time, as Egypt faces intense campaigns targeting its security and stability and attempting to influence citizens’ awareness and create divisions within society. Spreading awareness and strengthening trust between the people and state institutions have therefore become essential requirements for protecting national security and preserving the cohesion of the domestic front.
Ultimately, the real hope rests with the Egyptian people, who have demonstrated throughout their long history their ability to distinguish truth from falsehood and accurate news from malicious rumors. This people has endured numerous battles and intense campaigns, beginning with the 1956 war, passing through the defeat of 1967 and the challenges and difficulties that followed, until the great victory of the October War in 1973.
Egyptian history confirms that the strength of a state is measured not only by the weapons and military or economic capabilities it possesses, but also by the level of awareness among its people, their unity and their ability to confront attempts at misinformation and undermining confidence. An aware people is the first line of defense for its homeland and the true guarantee of the state’s stability and its ability to overcome crises and challenges.
Raising awareness is therefore not merely a media or cultural responsibility. It is a shared national and social responsibility and a necessity for protecting Egypt and preserving its security and stability in the face of fourth- and fifth-generation warfare.
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