Through its publications, INSS aims to provide expert insights, cutting-edge research, and innovative solutions that contribute to shaping the national security discourse and preparing the next generation of leaders in the field.
Feb. 9, 2026
Perceptions of Threat, Correlates of Dread, and Collective Instability
This essay argues that individual and collective perceptions of threat—and their neurocognitive correlate, dread—are key drivers of instability, volatility, and violence, and must be understood and engaged as strategic elements of modern cognitive warfare and deterrence.