Cognitive warfare as a tool to counter European integration: the case of the Western Balkans

Doi: https://doi.org/10.58603/WTJR7963

Abstract: This article explores the concept of cognitive warfare as a distinct and increasingly influential form of non-kinetic conflict that targets the human mind as a battlefield. Drawing on case studies from the Western Balkans, particularly Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, and North Macedonia, the article analyzes how external actors use psychological operations, propaganda, and digital technologies to manipulate perceptions, reinforce ethnic divisions, and obstruct democratic integration. The study explains the mechanisms of influence through cognitive biases such as the availability heuristic, confirmation bias, and framing effects and demonstrates how they are systematically exploited in political communication and media narratives. Special attention is given to the role of the Overton Window in shifting public discourse toward the normalization of extreme ideas. The article argues that cognitive warfare represents a paradigm shift that merges information, psychological, and semantic operations, calling for increased societal resilience and awareness of the subtle methods used to influence individual and collective cognition.