Brave New War: The Next Stage of Terrorism and the End of Globalization - Softcover

Robb, John

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0470261951 ISBN 13: 9780470261958

Publisher: Trade Paper Press, 2008

Synopsis

""For my money, John Robb, a former Air Force officer and tech guru, is the futurists' futurist.""
--""Slate""

The counterterrorism expert John Robb reveals how the same technology that has enabled globalization also allows terrorists and criminals to join forces against larger adversaries with relative ease and to carry out small, inexpensive actions--like sabotaging an oil pipeline--that generate a huge return. He shows how combating the shutdown of the world's oil, high-tech, and financial markets could cost us the thing we've come to value the most--worldwide economic and cultural integration--and what we must do now to safeguard against this new method of warfare.

About this title

From the Inside Flap

During the summer of 2004, a small group of Iraqi insurgents blew up a southern section of the Iraqi oil pipeline infrastructure. This attack cost an estimated $2,000 to produce, and no attackers were caught, while the explosion cost Iraq $500 million in lost oil exports—a rate of return 250,000 times the cost of the attack.

In Brave New War, the controversial terrorism expert John Robb argues that the shift from state-against-state conflicts to wars against small, ad hoc bands of like-minded insurgents will lead to a world with as many tiny armies as there are causes to fight for. Our new enemies are looking for gaps in vital systems where a small, cheap action—blowing up an oil pipeline or knocking out a power grid—will generate a huge return.

Drawing on scores of chilling examples from the ongoing insurgency in Iraq, Robb reveals how the technology that has enabled globalization also allows terrorists, criminals, and violent ideologues of every stripe to join forces against a far bigger and richer foe without revealing their identities, following orders, or even working toward the same ultimate goal. This new brand of open-source warfare enables insurgents to coordinate attacks, swarm on targets, and adapt rapidly to changes in their enemy's tactics, all at minimal cost and risk. And now, Robb shows, it is being exported around the world, from Pakistan to Nigeria to Mexico, creating a new class of insurgents he calls global guerrillas.

This evolutionary leap in the methods of warfare makes it possible for extremely small nonstate groups to fight states and possibly win on a regular basis. The use of systems disruption as a method of strategic warfare gives rise to a nightmare scenario in which any nation—including the United States—can be driven to bankruptcy by an enemy it can't compete with economically. We are staring at a future where defeat isn't experienced all at once but as an inevitable withering away of military, economic, and political power through wasting conflicts with minor foes.

How can we defend ourselves against this pernicious new menace? Brave New War presents a debate-changing argument that no one who cares about national security can afford to ignore: it is time, says Robb, to decentralize all of our systems, from energy and communications to security and markets. It is time for every citizen to take personal responsibility for some aspect of state security. It is time to make our systems, and ourselves, as flexible, adaptable, and resilient as the forces that are arrayed against us.

From the Back Cover

""Fast becoming a classic in the shadowy world of trigger pullers and three-letter agencies. ""Brave New War."" . . is simply the single best available source on how to avoid losing this global struggle.""
--Thomas P. M. Barnett, ""Esquire""

""For my money, John Robb, a former Air Force officer and tech guru, is the futurists' futurist. Robb is convinced that technology will empower the little guy. The difference is that Robb thinks the little guy is just as likely to wear a mask and carry a Kalashnikov as he is to make home-brewed beer.""
--""Slate""

In this groundbreaking book, controversial terrorism expert John Robb explains how the same technology that enabled globalization allows small, ad hoc bands of insurgents and criminals to wage a chaotic global war against larger adversaries. With chilling, real-world examples, he shows how terrorists can carry out inexpensive actions--like sabotaging an oil pipeline or knocking out a power grid--that disrupt vital systems and generate a huge return. Robb details how combating the shutdown of the world's oil, high-tech, and financial markets could cost us the thing we've come to value the most--global economic and cultural integration--and explains what we must do now to safeguard against this new method of global guerrilla warfare.

About this edition

• Publisher: Trade Paper Press
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 0470261951
• ISBN 13: 9780470261958
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 208