What is Cognitive Warfare

When Edward Said wrote Orientalism, he was defending the honor of the Western “other,” especially that of his fellow Arabs. Three years later, he published a book on Western media coverage of the Iranian revolution of 1979, in which he applied many of the principles he worked out in orientalism to Western journalists' coverage of events in 1979. It is probable that Said did not know that 1979 was 1400 in the Muslim calendar, and that it marked the dawn of modern global jihad and the drive for a global caliphate. It is also probable that Said had no idea that his attack on the West for their “racist” attitudes towards his fellow Arabs actually paralyzed the West's ability to deal with the cognitive war about to come. This chapter will analyze the way in which Said's honor-driven analysis worked to the benefit of those working towards a global caliphate, warriors whose values and goals were the exact opposite of what he espoused in his post-colonial work. The problems with the Western reception of Saïd continue to haunt democracies and progressive efforts.