India as a Propaganda Battleground: Navigating the Crossfire Between America and Russia

  The Growing Need for an Indian Digital Firewall

India is rapidly becoming a battleground for competing foreign propaganda. The time has come for India to establish its own digital barriers, akin to China’s “Great Firewall,” to prevent the country from becoming engulfed by divisive and weaponized narratives driven by foreign powers. If not addressed now, these dangerous external influences could severely destabilize India.

The History of Propaganda Warfare
Propaganda warfare is far from a modern invention. Adolf Hitler, as early as 1933, hired a New York-based PR firm to improve Nazi Germany’s image. Similarly, Napoleon Bonaparte employed media experts to inflate his military victories. However, the scale of such manipulative truth-telling exploded during the Gulf War of the 1990s, where PR firms like Hill & Knowlton were paid millions to craft false stories, such as the infamous tale of Iraqi soldiers removing Kuwaiti children from hospital incubators.

With the rise of social media, the lines between fact and fiction have become increasingly blurred. The ongoing Ukraine war highlights how one-sided narratives dominate, often silencing alternate perspectives entirely.

Meta’s Role in the Information War
In the midst of the Russia-Ukraine conflict, Meta (the parent company of Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp) took the drastic step of banning Russian state-run media like RT and Sputnik, citing “foreign interference.” This is just one example of how private tech companies, largely based in the United States, exert outsized influence over global narratives.

Meta’s willingness to comply with U.S. government pressure isn’t new. Recently, CEO Mark Zuckerberg admitted that Meta had censored COVID-19 content during the pandemic at the behest of the Biden administration. Moreover, reports suggest that the U.S. government urged India to ban Russian media as well, a request the Modi government wisely declined.

The American Monopoly on Information
This brings to light a critical concern for India: the overwhelming control the U.S. and its allies have over global media and social media platforms. With just 15 billionaires controlling much of the U.S. media, as pointed out by former Ambassador Rajiv Dogra in Autocrats: Charisma, Power, and Their Lives, it becomes evident that governments can easily influence public discourse. Similarly, in the UK, media ownership is heavily concentrated in a few hands, making it easy to manipulate the narrative.

In this context, the U.S. emerges as an undisputed superpower in information warfare, with its dominance over both traditional media and social media. Russia, while making strides in this domain, is still no match for America’s immense propaganda machinery.

India: Caught Between American and Russian Propaganda
India has long been a theater for foreign influence, particularly during the Cold War era when the CIA and KGB waged fierce information battles on Indian soil. The Mitrokhin Archive II documents how the KGB, at one point, infiltrated India’s corridors of power, influencing politicians, bureaucrats, and media personnel alike. The CIA was no different, reportedly using Indian officials to gather intelligence during the 1971 India-Pakistan war.

Today, with the advent of social media, these tactics have evolved. Foreign powers no longer need to physically infiltrate the country; they can now manipulate narratives remotely through tech giants headquartered abroad. For example, the U.S. has a significant advantage, as many social media platforms originate there. This allows them to not only control the narrative but also weaponize these platforms when needed.

The Changing Tools of Propaganda
While the Cold War-era propaganda tactics have changed in form, the motive remains the same: influence public opinion and policy. With social media, foreign governments can shape perceptions and create “manufactured consent” without ever setting foot in the country. They can elevate individuals like Kamala Harris and Volodymyr Zelenskyy to the status of democratic saviors, while turning figures like Bangladesh’s Sheikh Hasina into supposed autocrats.

 A Call for an Indian Digital Firewall
India, poised to become a global superpower, is in danger of being consumed by foreign-controlled narratives. With its rise as a geostrategic, economic, and cultural powerhouse, India must not allow foreign governments and tech giants to manipulate its discourse. Establishing a "Great Indian Firewall" would safeguard against the manipulation of social media and ensure that India’s narratives remain in Indian hands.

If not acted upon soon, India risks fighting this battle with one hand tied behind its back, unable to defend itself from the dangerously divisive narratives propagated by external powers.