3 Review(s)

Today, narratives determine politics, and agendas determine narratives. The recent series of violent protests—be it the Delhi riots in 2020, the violent protests against the Agniveer recruitment scheme or the U.S. Capitol riots in 2021—exemplify this. We live in an era when information has been weaponised to create havoc in society, with virulent Forces using covert and overt propaganda outlets to further the faultlines in Indian society, or even create them where they are not prevalent, ultimately effecting conflict and violence. Propaganda warfare is a mind-hacking technique, where the target surrenders the capability of critical thinking, and the target can be a person, a group or even a nation. If we are to adequately and pre-emptively deal with it, we need to first understand how it works and thus be able to diagnose it when it is unleashed. Binay Kumar Singh’s The Elastic War: Story of the Popular Front of India makes a brilliant dissection of propaganda warfare. Taking Popular Front of India (PFI) as a classic case to understand propaganda warfare, The Elastic War dissects how neo-terror outfits adopt transformative changes, and have mastered the next generation modus operandi of warfare. Terrorist organisations such as PFI are difficult to decipher using traditional methods. hese suave groups have acquired the skill of weaponising propaganda and are gradually mastering the art of Elastic Warfare. They can alter their appearances, size and methods based on the external pressures they encounter. This book will let one—policy makers and citizens alike—spot just how this elastic war is carried out, and thereby not fall victim to it. The Elastic War is an invaluable counter-weapon in the arsenal for our nation’s internal security.