Abstract
In the age of proliferating information warfare, influence operations have evolved far beyond the paradigms of twentieth-century propaganda. This academic paper presents an exhaustive, interdisciplinary analysis of "narrative engineering," emphasizing strategic inception-like seeding of narratives that flourish seemingly organically within a target society. Moving sequentially through a robust conceptual framework, psychological and technical mechanisms, geopolitical case studies, advanced attribution methodologies, global policy reviews, and ethical as well as future-oriented considerations, this research elucidates how state and non-state actors weaponize information ecosystems. Special focus is placed on emergent AI-driven tools, open-source intelligence (OSINT), stylometry, and machine learning as defensive and offensive means in these operations. Drawing on a broad base of scholarly and policy literature, the paper concludes with evidence-based recommendations and forecasting for the future of narrative engineering in global intelligence and security.
