journal article

Mapping the cognitive warfare literature: A strategic analysis (1981–2025)

Russo S.; Yazdanjue N.

Publication year: 2026
Source / journal: journal of strategic studies
Country of origin: Italy;Australia
Language: English
Institution type: Academic, Military
Authors’ affiliations: Department of Engineering, Economics, Politics and Law, Centre for Defense Higher Studies (CASD), University of Turin, Rome, Italy; Department of Data Science Institute, Faculty of Engineering and IT, University of Technology Sydney, Sydney, Australia
Academic discipline: Military Influence & Security Doctrine; Cognitive & Behavioral Sciences; Social Psychology & Group Dynamics; Human–Machine & Algorithmic Mediation
Actors: NATO; Russia; Military / Armed Forces
Contribution type: Empirical; Methodological; Theoretical
Import source: Scopus export

Abstract

The battlespace expanded inside the human mind, yet no one agrees what that means. This bibliometric analysis of 289 publications (1981–2025) exposes a paradox: exponential post-2020 growth masks conceptual fragmentation and a geographic asymmetry. Using PRISMA-aligned analysis, the study reveals Western and NATO dominance across technological, psychological, and doctrinal clusters–while Russian and Chinese conceptions remain systematically underrepresented. Interpreted through Clausewitzian and Schelling frameworks, the study argues that cognition constitutes a new grammar of strategy, shifting competition from infrastructure to interpretation. The analysis positions knowledge itself as strategic terrain, bridging empirical mapping and strategic theory. © 2026 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

Author keywords

bibliometric analysis; cognitive warfare; influence and perception; information operations; military doctrine; perception management; strategic studies

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