Top IPSO of the week (November 10 – November 16, 2025): the year of brain chip implantation...

Articles | 16 November, 2025 at 09:16 | 620 | Author: Olena Zelenina, Oleksandr Sydorenko (cartoon)

Cartoon by Oleksandr Sydorenko.

The British magazine The Economist has released a cover rebus titled "The World Ahead 2026." It features an abundance of tanks, missiles, submarines, and drones—the magazine clearly predicts a continuation, and possibly an escalation, of military conflicts around the world. Analysts also expect further trade wars, as evidenced by the crossed swords on the economic cycle chart. Zelenskyy is also featured on the cover, in military uniform and holding binoculars.

The covers of The Economist

https://www.economist.com/topics/the-world-ahead-2026

traditionally present a complex visual puzzle, with no official "solution" and open to multiple interpretations.

Let's try our hand: Zelensky is depicted with binoculars, surrounded by military equipment and explosions.

This seems to signify the continuation of the protracted war. The binoculars indicate intense surveillance of the situation and defensive efforts.

The image of chips or a robot seemingly "pulling a rope" with a person is indeed one of the most ominous and widely discussed symbols on the cover of "The World Ahead 2026"—an image of external control over human consciousness.

The joystick connected to the brain refers to Musk's Neuraling and similar companies that implant chips in the brain. The symbol of a joystick connected to a brain is a direct metaphor for information-psychological operations (IPSO), cognitive warfare, and manipulated perception in the modern digital age.

The brain in this composition represents the individual and collective consciousness of citizens. In information warfare, the primary goal is not the physical destruction of the enemy, but the formation of opinions, emotions, and behavioral responses in the target audience.