Mapping the cognitive warfare literature: A strategic analysis (1981–2025)
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.
Fields of Study & Subjects
Military Strategy and Technology
European and Russian Geopolitical Military Strategies
Military History and Strategy
Publication details
- Journal / source
- Journal of Strategic Studies
- Publisher
- Informa UK Limited
- Volume
- 49
- Issue
- 5
- Pages
- 1–33
- Publication date
- 31 March 2026
- Language
- EN