The Advent of Netwar: Analytic Background

Abstract

The information revolution is fostering the rise of network forms of organization, whereby small, previously isolated groups can communicate, link up, and conduct coordinated joint actions as never before. This, in turn, is leading to a new mode of conflict - "netwar" - in which the protagonists depend on using network forms of organization, doctrine, strategy, and technology. Many actors across the spectrum of conflict - e.g., from ethno-nationalists, terrorists, and criminals who pose security threats, to social activists who do not - are developing netwar designs and capabilities. This article analyzes the rise of netwar, identifies the information-age behaviors that may characterize it, and discusses its varieties.