War as a Mechanism of Social Control: Social and Cultural Impacts of the US–Israel–Iran Conflict

Abstract

This article aims to analyze war as a mechanism of social control by the state, using the 2026 conflict between the United States, Israel, and Iran as a case study. This study employs document analysis and discourse analysis based on academic literature, international reports, and contemporary news sources to examine the relationship between war, fear, and social regulation. The findings reveal that contemporary warfare extends beyond the military domain into social control mechanisms, including the production of structural fear, the expansion of state power under emergency conditions, the control of information, and the construction of social identity through the division between “us” and “the enemy.” Fear plays a crucial role in legitimizing state authority, leading citizens to accept surveillance measures and restrictions on civil liberties. At the same time, war contributes to the formation of social cohesion through nationalism and moral justification of violence. However, the impacts of war are not solely integrative. The study finds that war also fosters a culture of fear, normalizes violence, and erodes social trust, resulting in long-term social polarization and fragmentation. This article argues that contemporary war should be understood as a form of power through which the state shapes behavior and governs society, rather than merely as a military conflict.