Networks and Netwars: The Future of Terror, Crime, and Militancy (Consumer One-Off)

Netwar-like cyberwar-describes a new spectrum of conflict that is emerging in the wake of the information revolution. Netwar includes conflicts waged, on the one hand, by terrorists, criminals, gangs, and ethnic extremists; and by civil-society activists (such as cyber activists or WTO protestors) on the other. What distinguishes netwar is the networked organizational structure of its practitioners-with many groups actually being leaderless-and their quickness in coming together in swarming attacks. To confront this new type of conflict, it is crucial for governments, military, and law enforcement to begin networking themselves. Netwar Is The Lower-intensity, Societal-level Counterpart To The Editors' Earlier, Mostly Military Concept Of Cyberwar. This Volume Studies Major Instances Of Netwar That Have Occurred Over The Past Several Years--from Osama Bin Laden's Networked Terrorists To The Battle Of Seattle's Social Activists--and Finds, Among Other Things, That Netwar Works Very Well. Whether The Protagonists Are Civil-society Activists Or Uncivil-society Criminals And Terrorists, Their Netwars Have Generally Been Successful. Strategists And Policymakers In Washington, And Elsewhere, Have Already Begun To Discern The Dark Side Of The Netwar Phenomenon, Especially As Manifested In Terrorist And Criminal Organizations. In This Volume, The Editors And Their Colleagues Examine Various Types Of Netwar, From The Most Violent To The Most Socially Activist. In Doing So, They Find That, Despite The Variety, All Networks That Have Been Built For Waging Netwar May Be Analyzed In Terms Of A Common Analytic Framework. There Are Five Levels Of Theory And Practice That Matter--the Technological, Social, Narrative, Organizational, And Doctrinal Levels. A Netwar Actor Must Get All Five Right To Be Fully Effective. The Most Potent Netwarriors Will Not Only Be Highly Networked And Have The Capacity For Mounting Swarming Attacks, They Will Also Be Held Together By Strong Social Ties, Have Secure Communications Technologies, And Project A Common Story About Why They Are Together And What They Need To Do. These Will Be The Most Serious Adversaries. But Even Those Networks That Are Weak On Some Levels May Pose Stiff Challenges To Their Nation-state Adversaries. With This In Mind, It Is Necessary To Go Beyond Just Diagnosing The Nature Of The Networked Nonstate Opponent In A Given Conflict. It Will Become Crucial For Governments And Their Military And Law Enforcement Establishments To Begin Networking Themselves>--rand Abstract. The Advent Of Netwar (revisited / John Arquilla And David Ronfeldt -- The Networking Of Terror In The Information Age / Michele Zanini And Sean J.a. Edwards -- Transnational Criminal Networks / Paul Williams -- Gangs, Hooligans, And Anarchists -- The Vanguard Of Netwar In The Streets / John P. Sullivan -- Networking Dissent: Cyber Activists Use The Internet To Promote Democracy In Burma / Tiffany Danitz And Warren P. Strobel -- Emergence And Influence Of The Zapatista Social Netwar / David Ronfeldt And John Arquilla -- Netwar In The Emerald City: Wto Protest Strategy And Tactics / Paul De Armond -- Activism, Hacktivism, And Cyberterrorism: The Internet As A Tool For Influencing Foreign Policy / Dorothy E. Denning -- The Structure Of Social Movements: Environmental Activism And Its Opponents / Luther P. Gerlach -- What Next For Networks And Netwars? / David Ronfeldt And John Arquilla -- Afterword (september 2001): The Sharpening Fight For The Future / John Arquilla And David Ronfeldt. Edited By John Arquilla And David Ronfeldt. Mr-1382-osd--p. [4] Of Cover. Prepared For The Office Of The Secretary Of Defense. Includes Bibliographical References. Sponsored By The Office Of The Secretary Of Defense (osd). Dasw01-01-c-0004 The articles in this collection discuss cyberwar and netwar, two new apects of conflict that are emerging in the wake of the information revolution. Netwar includes conflicts waged, on the one hand, by terrorists, criminals, gangs, and ethnic extremists; and by civil-society activists (such as cyber activists or WTO protestors) on the other. What distinguishes netwar is the networked organizational structure of its practitioners — with many groups actually being leaderless — and their quickness in coming together in swarming attacks. To confront this new type of conflict, it is crucial for governments, military, and law enforcement to begin networking themselves Netwarlike cyberwardescribes a new spectrum of conflict that is emerging in the wake of the information revolution. What distinguished netwar is the networked organizational structure of its practitioners and their quickness in coming together in swarming attacks. To confront this new type of conflict, it is crucial for governments, military, and law enforcement to begin networking themselves.