ABSTRACT
This chapter analyzes the use of psychological warfare by the United States (US) to win the hearts and minds of the people of Indonesia during the 1950s and of Iraq and Muslim majority countries in the aftermath of the 9/11 attacks. It explains both the change and historical development of US psychological warfare, the agencies involved, and the policy options at its disposal. Communications and information issues were somewhat peripheral to the concerns of US diplomacy, but World War II changed this. After the war, American mass media came into its own as an international force, as filmmakers, television broadcasters, and print publishers expanded abroad. US psychological warfare in Indonesia provoked a major rebellion in West Sumatra and North Sulawesi and triggered civil conflict. The chapter concludes that the rapid development of communication technologies has contributed to the significant changes in the execution of US psychological warfare.
