Some time ago I pointed to John Robb’s discussion of the potential for the network to amplify the threat of violence from otherwise un-connected and un-organized individuals. Now Noah Shachtman at DefenseTech is writing about “open source insurgents.”

It used to be that a small group of ideological-driven guerilla leaders would spread information, tactics, training, and cash to their followers. No more. Internet-enabled insurgents with only the loosest of real-world connections can now share all of that freely online. These guys don’t have to like each other. They don’t have to agree with one another. They don’t even have to interact, really. All they have to do is post material to the Net.

Shachtman notes a Washington Post series on the matter (the final installment is a must read).

It’s worth noting that Shachtman also points to John Robb’s writings in this area and that he just returned from a stint in Iraq where he got to see some of this on the ground. What’s he got to say about it all?

In this way, the new Iraqi “non-insurgency” may be tougher to beat, ultimately, than the more ideological guerillas of the past. With such a diverse band sharing information so quickly, there’s no one “leader” or group of leaders to eliminate. In fact, taking out the most visible leaders might only make the Open Source network more efficient, by eliminating unnecessary nodes.

Scarily, we’re all starting to learn that Metcalfe’s Law and network effects apply to violence too. Shamefully, it seems everybody pretty much agrees with former British foreign secretary Robin Cook who noted “There were no international terrorists in Iraq until we went in.”

Photo: from leodecerca’s photostream at Flickr. Other Flickr finds: Eyes Wide Open exhibit, and camouflage.

tags: defensetech, guerillas, ideological, insurgents, iraq, john robb, metcalfe’s law, network effects, noah shachtman, open source, open source insurgency, open source violence, terrorism, terrorist, terrorists, world connections, world wide web

Posted August 17, 2005 by Casey Bisson
Categories: Libraries & Networked Information, Technology. Tags: defensetech, guerillas, ideological, insurgents, iraq, john robb, metcalfe's law, network effects, noah shachtman, open source, open source insurgency, open source violence, terrorism, terrorist, terrorists, world connections, world wide web.

1 Comment(s)

Comments RSS TrackBack Identifier URI

Leave a comment

Name (required)

Mail (will not be published) (required)

Website

 

User contributed tags for this post:

gogle com (3857) - gogle earth (3201) - gogle (2121) - earth gogle (831) - gogle earth com (807) - gogle maps com (729) - maps gogle com (672) - gogle maps (604) - earth gogle com (585) - maps gogle (533) - earth com (392) - eart gogle (388) - gogle heart (232) - gogle eart (164) - gogle in (118) - WWW GOGLE COM (106) - eart gogle com (102) - WWW GOGLE EARTH (93) - WWW EARTH GOGLE COM (83) - gogle de (77) - GO LE (72) - عن gogle (67) - satelite gogle (64) - gogle hearth (55) - gogle world (55) - WWW GOGLE EARTH COM (49) - gogle erth (45) - videvo (38) - world earth com (35) - www.gogle earth.com (33) - http maps gogle com (33) - google heart area 51 (32) - Go le Earth (32) - Your world earth com (31) - gogle seks (30) - 2492523753498 (30) - gogle cash (26) - hearth gogle (24) - all (21) - about (21) - GOGLE MAP (20) - WWW GOGLE EART (20) - gogle satelite (18) - gogle.seks (17) - area 51 google heart (17) - google easth (16) - gogleearth (16) - w w w gogle com (16) - gogle earth satelite (15) - area 51 gogle earth (15) - Google Earth com (15) - gogle earth maps com (15) - earth maps com (14) - gogle worth (14) - seks videvo (13) - http earth gogle com (13) - googleearth of iraq (13) - WWW GOGLE (12) - w.w.w.gogle (12) - area 51 google hearth (12) - http||earth gogle com (11) - network (11) - WWW MAPS GOGLE COM (10) - 2493521267110 (10) - maps gogle earth (10) - www.98 camo (10) - http://maps gogle com (9) - earth gogle 4 (9) - maps world gogle (9) - google eart area 51 (9) - WWW GOGLE ERTH (9) - 2552490721869 (8) - earth com satelite (8) - gogleearth.com (7) - www.gogle maps.com (7) - GOGLE EARTH.COM (7) - gogle earth maps (6) - WWW GOGLE MAPS COM (6) - satelite maps gogle (6) - W.W.W. GOOGLE EARTH. RU. (6) - google earth (6) - mapas satelite gogle (6) - ogle Earth (6) - www gogle maps (6) - area51 google heart (6) - GOGLE SATELITE COM (6) - http://www gogle earth com (6) - www google earth r (5) - google hearth area 51 (5) - www google earth ru (5) - www.gogleearth (5) - Google Earth.ru (5) - gogle earth online (5) - GOOGLE EARTH PRO SRIAL (5) - violence com (5) - Effects of Violence (4) - gogle erthe (4) - google eart area51 (4) - google heart area51 (4) - w w w gogle maps com (4) - www earth maps com (4) - www.gogleearth.com (4) - open source network effects (4) - the effects of violence (4) - http://www google earth ru/ (4) - worth gogle (4) - google hearth (4) - 20gogle 20com (4) - british ghostly car commercial (4) - 2484977152566 (4) - area 51 google erth (4) - www gogle.com (4) - WWW EARTH GOGLE (4) - www.google earth.ru (4) - area 51 gogle maps links (4) - www.gogle.earth.com (4) - maisonbisson com (4) - videvo, (3) - gogle area (3) - porno videvo six (3) - leodecerca (3) - w w w maps gogle com (3) - goglesatelite (3) - videvo seks (3) - w w w gogle earth com (3) - effects of violence com (3) - w w w gogle earth (3) - maps.gogle.com. (3) - w.w.w gogle (3) - WWW EARTH COM (3) - www.gogle.com seks videvo (3) - w.w.gogle in (3) - google earth iraq (3) - w.w.w gogle.com (3) - WWW GOGLE MAP (3) - maps com gogle (3) - www.gogle (3) -