Amid slipping global approval, the US is risking its credibility by turning to tactics it once condemned
3-MIN READ3-MINNayan SethPublished: 9:00pm, 22 Apr 2026Washington’s reported plan to have embassies team up with the American military’s “psyops” department to boost the US’ image could backfire and actually damage the country’s credibility, according to analysts.
The strategy amounts to using “propaganda to fight the truth”, according to Tad Stoermer, a historian and former lecturer at Johns Hopkins University.
Amid slipping global approval, the US is looking to employ shadowy tactics that it previously condemned.
According to the British newspaper’s report, the cable also suggested recruiting local influencers to “make American-funded narratives feel locally organic rather than centrally directed”. To that end, it urged US officials to make greater use of the social media platform X, formerly Twitter.
