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Following are excerpts from a report on a "soft warfare" exhibition in Tehran, aired on the English-language Press TV on November 2, 2011.
Reporter: The hidden invasion - the term refers to a new type of war with very different weapons, weapons that are not made to kill, but are made to create doubts, plant ideas, and change ideologies. The Hidden Invasion exhibition was inaugurated on Wednesday in Tehran, with one aim.
Ali Gholami, Iran Aerospace Industries: The aim of this exhibition is to familiarize our people with the soft warfare that is taking place as we speak in the country and its tools.
Reporter: The history of soft warfare goes back to 1999, after the collapse of the Soviet Union. The United States, with the experience of the two world wars and the Cold War, was looking for a cheaper way to reach its political goals, such as regime change.
Using cultural tools to move the masses was the new way to go. An Iranian high-ranking military official has his own description of the term.
Major-General Hassan Firoozabadi, Joint Chief of Staff Iranian Armed Forces: Our definition of soft warfare is using means to, first of all, separate man from his rationality, and control him through his animal instincts and feelings, and stimulants, such as narcotics and sex.
They use many means to put their plan into action. They use satellite TV, radio, magazines, pictures, Hollywood movies, and fashion, especially for the young, and articles that one gets attached to, like ornaments or signs on their backs, clothes, and other belongings.
This system, as a whole, tries to change a revolutionary Iranian, and separate him from his school of thought.
Military experts say that Orange Revolution, Ukraine, is a good example of soft warfare and how it works.
Reporter: Military officials here say that soft war is the base for any successful hard war, and without a soft war campaign, the occupying forces will face resistance by the people, and will be defeated sooner or later.