The War No One Sees |
Israeli Defense Forces reserve spokesperson for Portuguese-speaking countries warns of the sophistication of digital disinformation and its impact on perceptions of complex conflicts
Last Sunday (14), around 300 people filled the auditorium of Unibes Cultural in São Paulo for a conversation that went far beyond the usual Middle East debate. What Major Rafael Rozenszajn, the first Israeli Defense Forces spokesperson for Portuguese speakers, presented was not a defense of military policy but a deep diagnosis of how contemporary wars are fought long before any action takes place on the battlefield.
“Today, a 15-second animation can cross borders, shape perceptions, and influence more than an official report with thoroughly analyzed facts and data.”
This observation, made by the international law attorney and bestselling author of The War of Narratives, was not rhetorical. It was a precise description of a phenomenon that often goes unnoticed: modern disinformation does not present itself as propaganda. It comes disguised in memes, slick animations, and short videos with simplified narratives. A perfect villain. A flawless victim. Ready to go viral.
The lecture is part of a Brazilian tour that also visited Belo Horizonte and Goiânia, aiming to spark reflection among diverse audiences well beyond the Jewish community. The central thesis is simple yet disturbing: real conflicts no longer compete only with rival versions—they compete for reality itself. In a virtual environment saturated with narratives, those who control the algorithm often overpower those who hold the truth.
“Real wars don’t work like that. When an urban conflict—fought between the army of a democratic country and a terrorist group—is reduced to a simplified........