Psychological Warfare and the Making of Defeat: How Does the West Read the Arab Mind?

In his famous book 'The Game of Nations,' Miles Copeland reveals a deep intelligence strategy based on the psychological simulation of enemy leaders. Individuals are subjected to living and psychological conditions identical to those of the adversary to predict their reactions to various crises.\n\nThis strategy is evident in Copeland's claim that he made the decision to nationalize the Suez Canal in his imagination before the late President Gamal Abdel Nasser announced it in 1956. This type of precise study of the Arab psyche gives the West an advantage in managing conflicts and achieving political aims.\n\nAfter the 1967 defeat, Arab peoples faced a harsh shock with the loss of Jerusalem, Sinai, and the Golan, after the media had been immersed in promoting illusory victories. Attempts then emerged to redefine defeat, with the regime considering the survival of the political leadership as the true victory.\n\nWriter Mohamed Hassanein Heikal contributed to this trend by downplaying material losses, describing Sinai as merely a 'handful of sand.' The aim of this discourse was to maintain the psychological cohesion of the masses, but in return, it obscured awareness of the magnitude of the military catastrophe.\n\nThe Arab tendency to cling to feelings of victory even in the direst civilizational circumstances represents a vulnerability that enemies cleverly exploit. They give peoples doses of 'media victory' to numb their consciousness, while preparing to impose a new reality on the ground that seizes more resources.\n\nThe question arises about the extent of our surrender to the idea that the conflict with major powers is primarily a media conflict. We always await an extraordinary speech that breaks the psychological barrier, ignoring the necessity of practical work on the ground and changing the real balance of power.\n\nReturning to the Prophet's biography, we find that the Messenger, peace be upon him, did not describe what happened in the Battle of Uhud as a victory despite the initial superiority of the Muslims. Rather, he dealt with the results realistically and courageously, and led his army to 'Hamra al-Asad' to prove that the battle consists of continuous rounds.\n\nThis prophetic guidance teaches us the necessity of acknowledging shortcomings and not falsifying facts to satisfy emotions, because building nations requires sincerity in self-confrontation. The confusion between politics and ethics has sometimes led to justifying regime transgressions under the pretext of strategic necessities.\n\nIn its conflict with us, the West is keen to leave room for self-pride, so that a comprehensive defeat does not turn into an uncontrolled explosive energy. This was clearly evident in the way major crises were managed in Iraq and other Arab countries.\n\nInability to review old positions and identify flaws prevents us from changing our faltering civilizational standing. True change begins with acknowledging reality as it is, not as we wish to see it through directed media screens.\n\nPolitical elites sometimes suffer from the desire to jump directly to power through ballot boxes without real political qualification. Renaissance requires thought, scrutiny, hard work, and sacrifice, not just appearing as the best among the bad.\n\nAlthough the Messenger, peace be upon him, was supported by divine victory, he never neglected to take worldly means and consultation. It is strange that some today demand divine victory without engaging in work, scientific research, and commitment to the path of construction.\n\nThe nation must realize that the West cannot be at peace with one part of it while devouring another part at the same time. History repeats itself, and what happened in ancient Syria at the hands of the Tatars was repeated in Egypt, necessitating unity of destiny and consciousness.\n\nIn conclusion, the greatest challenge remains to free ourselves from the idea that everything that comforts us psychologically is necessarily the absolute truth. Facing bitter truths is the first step towards creating a true victory that is not shaken by the winds of psychological warfare or the falsification of political discourse.\n\n"The enemy did not win because we are still together"; this is how political discourse tried to transform the defeat of the land into a false steadfastness of the regime.