Guerra híbrida: cenário brasileiro

Abstract

This study aims to analyze hybrid warfare and its influence on the Brazilian scenario, especially between 2013 and 2022. In a global context marked by the sophistication of geopolitical disputes and the advancement of information technologies, the concept of hybrid warfare has become essential to understand new forms of conflict that go beyond conventional battles. This type of warfare combines traditional and non-traditional tactics including disinformation, lawfare, economic warfare, cyberattacks, and psychological operations in order to weaken adversaries in an indirect and gradual manner. In Brazil, hybrid warfare has manifested itself through complex processes of institutional destabilization, media manipulation, and social polarization. Episodes such as the June 2013 protests, the impeachment of President Dilma Rousseff, the Operation Car Wash, the imprisonment and subsequent release of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, and the 2018 and 2022 presidential elections represent landmarks in the application of hybrid strategies. The spread of fake news, the intensive use of bots and algorithms on social media, and the capture of public discourse by digital influencers demonstrate the destructive power of informational warfare in Brazil's democratic environment. This research concludes that hybrid warfare in Brazil has not Only impacted elections and political leaders but also fragmented society and eroded trust in institutions. Strengthening democracy, in this scenario, requires resisting informational manipulation and rebuilding public debate spaces based on dialogue, transparency, and the unconditional defense of the rule of law. Ultimately, hybrid warfare is not won on physical battlefields, but in the minds and hearts of citizens.