As global tensions rise around the world, Latin America is becoming an area of increasing interest to the adversaries of the United States. A strategic friendship with America’s neighbors could prove extremely useful if conflict were to escalate—especially in the realm of economic warfare which seems to be the source of most conflict today. For years, China and Russia have gradually embedded themselves into Latin American media and information streams, conducting a quiet form of cognitive warfare aimed at reshaping the hearts and minds of America’s closest allies.
Controlling the Present: The Strategy of Cognitive Warfare
Do you remember the telephone game? You’d whisper a phrase into someone’s ear, they’d pass it on, and by the time it reached the last person, the message was hilariously distorted. What started as “the cat sat on the mat” might turn into “Matt’s bat wore a hat,” followed by innocent laughs and questioning about where everything went so wrong. So quickly, understanding of the initial intention fades. This confusion is innocent and accidental as a game, but in today’s world, the distortion of truth is purely strategic.
“Who controls the past controls the future: who controls the present controls the past.” In George Orwell’s 1984, this chilling idea illustrates how authoritarian regimes maintain power—not by force alone, but by shaping how people understand history, reality, and truth itself. Today, this concept is no longer confined to fiction. Cognitive warfare is a strategy that is actively employed by China and Russia to push their anti-American and anti-democracy agendas on the world. Their intent is to progressively degrade public trust in the United States—why side with America if China and Russia appear to be doing things so much better? Nowhere is this more apparent than in Latin America, where countries like Mexico have become battlegrounds in a quiet but powerful war for hearts and minds.
Russia’s Playbook: Rewriting Reality
Russia’s tactics in Latin America have evolved into sophisticated disinformation campaigns that exploit the openness of democratic societies.
Every day, over a million people rely on Mexico City’s Metrobús to get to work, school, and home. The buses are packed wall to wall, while long, chaotic lines spill out from the glass-walled stations that dot the city’s busiest roads. As commuters wait, their eyes catch a sleek, seemingly harmless ad: “The news has no borders.” The slogan, courtesy of Russia’s state-sponsored media outlet RT, appears to promote global awareness and open access to information. But behind its polished presentation lies something far more devious. Disguised as neutral journalism, RT’s messaging is the first volley in a larger campaign—targeting Mexico’s working class with subtle, strategic misinformation designed to reshape their perception of truth, democracy, and international alliances.
This is no isolated case. RT en Español and its partner in crime, Sputnik Mundo, have embedded themselves across Latin America under the guise of alternative media. Their sleek production and emotionally charged content often present themselves as a counterbalance to Western influence. RT claims to be the most-viewed international news channel in the world. At first glance, it seems to be just another successful world news network. However, their front-page articles weave misleading and critical narratives of U.S. foreign policy into their coverage of current events in Latin America. Their attempt at subtlety is strikingly obvious.
It gets even worse, as RT only opens the door to Sputnik Mundo, who’s front page is plastered by false articles telling stories of Trump’s push for America’s military to invade Mexico, Putin’s “heroic demilitarization and denazification” effort in Ukraine, and how Ukrainian Nazis justify their beliefs upon American ideals. These narratives aren’t just wildly misleading—they’re maliciously designed to discredit American influence while legitimizing authoritarianism.
RT and Sputnik are not the only elements of Russian-induced misinformation. In Latin America, many people now consider these propaganda sites to be legitimate sources of alternative media, and social media influencers linked to Russia’s strategic objectives have millions of Spanish-speaking followers. The result is a shifting media landscape where truth is increasingly blurred.
China’s Silent Invasion: Cognitive Influence Through Infrastructure
While Russia opts for loud, confrontational propaganda, China takes a quieter—but equally calculated—approach. Rather than flooding media spaces with controversial headlines, China embeds its narratives more subtly: through media partnerships, content-sharing agreements, and enticing economic accords. In Mexico and across Latin America, Chinese state-backed outlets like CGTN en Español and Xinhua have formed agreements with local news organizations, allowing Beijing to slip its voice into mainstream content. The message? China is a responsible, stable global power that offers a preferable and more beneficial alternative to what it frames as self-interested U.S. policies.
This more covert use of cognitive warfare does not solely include indirect media influence. Through the Belt and Road Initiative, China has put billions into Latin American Infrastructure—from railways in Argentina to telecommunication in Mexico. What is not completely apparent though when these economic deals are made is the fine print that gives China control over what Latin American media can do or say. These attached strings include political silence over issues like Taiwan, Hong Kong, or abuse of human rights in Xingjiang. This muzzle of almost invisible agreements allows China to control the public narrative of Latin America without ever publishing a headline.
Implications for Regional Stability and Democratic Resilience
The cognitive warfare tactics employed by Russia and China to forge the narrative and spread misinformation among Latin America can have serious implications for the welfare of democracy and cooperation among Latin American nations.
By manipulating the truth, these foreign actors maliciously erode public trust in democratic leaders, media outlets, and institutions. The fertile soil of the democratic system can break away, revealing the roots of authoritarian ideologies which seem to be stable, but the ground where they sprout is ultimately dry and arid.
Undermining democratic norms in Latin American societies doesn’t just harm those countries—it weakens the unity of the broader democratic world. As public sentiment shifts, long-standing alliances with the United States and other democratic nations may fracture, creating dangerous openings for authoritarian expansion on the global stage.
Getting In Front of Misinformation: Building Resilience Against Cognitive Warfare
Stopping the spread of misinformation requires advancing the ideological dimension of informational control. The most effective defense against a lie is to tell the truth first—and do so credibly and consistently. That requires a multi-faceted approach that returns control of information to those who act with transparency and integrity:
Media Literacy Education: Empowering citizens with the skills to critically evaluate information sources can reduce the impact of disinformation campaigns.
Strengthening Independent Media: Supporting independent journalism and ensuring the financial viability of media outlets can provide a strong frontline against foreign manipulation.
International Cooperation: Collaborative efforts among democratic nations to share intelligence and develop coordinated responses to disinformation can improve resilience.
Regulatory Frameworks: Implementing policies that increase transparency in media ownership can help identify and mitigate foreign influence in local news.
The spread of misinformation is not just a cultural problem; it’s a national security threat. And since democracy and truth are deeply intertwined, an attack on one is an attack on the other. Russia and China’s clever use of cognitive warfare puts America in a difficult position: if the United States responds too directly, it risks validating the very accusations of dominance and interference that disinformation campaigns promote.
This paradox demands an indirect but still active approach—one that strengthens democratic values without appearing coercive. By equipping people to think critically and evaluate information for themselves, the influence of foreign disinformation can be weakened from within. In this war of perception, the most powerful tools are not louder headlines or aggressive campaigns—but trust, education, and the consistent, principled support of freedom and democracy.
Hearts and Minds: The Fight Continues
The battle for influence in Latin America is increasingly being waged not through violence, but the manipulation of information and perception. Russia and China’s cognitive warfare strategies aim to reshape the region’s political environment in ways that degrade trust in American democracy.
Democratic freedom includes the right to truth. Recognizing and countering these efforts is essential to preserving the hearts and minds of the people as well as the future of democratic institutions in Latin America. As the region navigates these challenges, a commitment to transparency, education, and international collaboration will be key to safeguarding its democratic future.
