Information-Age Terrorism

Ronfeldt, David; Zanini, Michele; Arquilla, John

doi:10.1525/curh.2000.99.636.179

Cited by 24 publications

(16 citation statements)

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“…ICTs, for example, can be used by MNCs to efficiently control transnational production and distribution networks. They can also be used by NGOs to improve cooperation on various policy issues or for the coordination of terrorist operations (Arquila, Ronfeldt, and Zanini 2000) as well as for states’ cyber war attacks against important public infrastructure in other countries (Halpin, Trevorrow, Webb, and Wright 2006). Liberals also admit that technology‐induced globalization processes influence nearly every aspect of human life (Ferguson and Mansbach 1999).…”

Section: Technology and Change In Theories Of Ir And Ipementioning

confidence: 99%

Technology and Global Affairs

Fritsch

2011

International Studies Perspectives

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Technology has always played an important role in global politics, economics, security, and culture. It has continuously shaped the structure of the global system, its actors, and the interactions between them and vice versa. However, theories of International Relations (IR), and in particular those of International Political Economy (IPE), have performed little to theoretically conceptualize technology as a powerful factor within explanations of change in global affairs. Although technology often is implicitly present in the theories of IR and IPE, it is often interpreted as an external, passive, apolitical, and residual factor. This essay argues that to develop a better understanding of transformation in global affairs, technology has to be integrated more systematically into the theoretical discussions of IR ⁄ IPE. Technology should be understood as a highly political and integral core component of the global system that shapes global affairs and itself is shaped by global economics, politics, and culture. This paper makes the case for an interdisciplinary approach, which systematically incorporates insights of Science and Technology Studies (S&TS) to provide a better understanding of how technology and the global system and politics interact with each other. In so doing, it opens the field to a richer understanding of how global systemic change is impacted by technology and how global politics, economics, and culture impact technological evolution.

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Section: Technology and Change In Theories Of Ir And Ipementioning

confidence: 99%

Technology and Global Affairs

Fritsch

2011

International Studies Perspectives

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“…It is agreed, however, that online activities substantially improve the ability of such terrorist groups to raise funds, lure new faithful, and reach a mass audience. 89 The most popular terrorist sites draw tens of thousands of visitors each month. Obviously, the Internet is not the only tool that a terrorist group needs to 'succeed.'…”

Section: Resultsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The Internet is becoming an integral component of such organizations, according to the Rand analysts. 26 Planning and Coordination "Many terrorist groups share a common goal with mainstream organizations and institutions: the search for greater efficiency through the Internet." 27 Several reasons have been put forward to explain why modern IT systems, especially the Internet, are so useful for terrorists in establishing and maintaining networks.…”

Section: Transforming Organizational Structures 24mentioning

confidence: 99%

Terrorist ‘Use’ of the Internet and Fighting Back

Conway¹

2006

ISIJ

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The Internet is a powerful political instrument, which is increasingly employed by terrorists to forward their goals. The five most prominent contemporary terrorist uses of the Net are information provision, financing, networking, recruitment, and information gathering. This article describes and explains each of these uses and is illustrated with examples of each. The final section of the paper describes the responses of government, law enforcement, intelligence agencies, and others to the terrorism-Internet nexus.

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“…For example, it may not be a coincidence that the Salafi jihad movement began during an age of a revolution in CT in the 1990s (Sageman, 2004). Arquilla et al (2000) suggest that CT developments allow the transition from a hierarchial to a network-based organizational structure that benefits non-state actors and extends their reach internationally. Notably, al-Qaeda appeared to employ the internet for 'cyberplanning' (Thomas, 2003) and later terrorist organizations use the internet in even more refined ways.…”

Section: Communications Technology As a Facilitator For Terrorismmentioning

confidence: 99%

Communications Technology and Terrorism

Mahmood

Jetter

2019

Journal of Conflict Resolution

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By facilitating the flow of information in society, communications technology (CT; e.g., newspapers, radio, television, the Internet) can help terrorists to (i) spread their message, (ii) recruit followers, and (iii) coordinate among group members. However, CT also facilitates monitoring and arresting terrorists. This article formulates the hypothesis that a society’s level of CT is systematically related to terrorism. We introduce a simple theoretical framework, suggesting that terrorism first becomes more attractive with a rise in CT, but then decreases, following an inverted U shape. Accessing data for 199 countries from 1970 to 2014, we find evidence consistent with these predictions: terrorism peaks at intermediate ranges of CT and corresponding magnitudes are sizable. Our estimations control for a range of potentially confounding factors, as well as country fixed effects and year fixed effects. Results are robust to a battery of alternative specifications and placebo regressions. We find no evidence of a potential reporting bias explaining our findings.

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Information-Age Terrorism

Cited by 24 publications

References 0 publications

Technology and Global Affairs

Technology and Global Affairs

Terrorist ‘Use’ of the Internet and Fighting Back

Communications Technology and Terrorism

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