Hybrid influence

Learn about hybrid influence, a spectrum of hybrid threat activities used by authoritarian regimes to weaken open, democratic societies. Hybrid CoE analyzes recent developments in hybrid influencing to help democracies increase their resilience.

In hybrid influencing, hostile state or non-state actors deploy and combine a broad portfolio of means to interfere and covertly gain influence in the target state and society. Examples include the dissemination of disinformation, election interference, instrumentalized migration, and the exploitation of identity issues to drive wedges in societies.

Hybrid influencing is used in the priming or early phase of the escalation spectrum of hybrid threat activity, aiming to induce the target state to make decisions that benefit the aggressor.

Learn about the topics under this theme

Election interference

Hybrid influence

Identity & cognitive vulnerabilities

Instrumentalized migration

Related news and publications

Artificial intelligence (AI)

Hybrid CoE Strategic Analysis 36

Artificial intelligence in hybrid threat operations: How AI empowers the existing adversarial playbook

Unpacking Chinese, Russian and Iranian approaches to disinformation

Election interference

Government perspective: How to protect elections from foreign interference

Hybrid CoE Paper 31

China’s maritime hybrid warfare: How Beijing uses lawfare and civilian entities to amplify military power

Hybrid CoE Paper 30

Belarus as a hybrid threat actor: A Russian proxy with residual agency

Artificial intelligence (AI)

Hybrid CoE Paper 29

Artificial Intelligence and Foreign Information Manipulation: Chinese and Russian approaches

Middle East and North Africa (MENA)

Hybrid CoE Trend Report 11

MENA: Four political trends shaping the hybrid threat landscape

Hybrid CoE Paper 27

Handbook on the role of non-state actors in Russian hybrid threats

Related functions

Training and Exercises

COI Strategy and Defence

COI Hybrid Influence

Get to know all our themes

The Centre focuses on diverse aspects of hybrid threats – from soft power to military means, and from policy to practical questions.