Cyberwar is Coming

Download this excerpt from

Cyberwar is Coming by John Arquilla and David Ronfeldt:

   - view in new window (HTML document)
   - download .doc directly
   - download .doc in ZIP file

Read Cyberwar is Coming, a report from 1993 by John Arquilla and David Ronfeldt and with ten years of hindsight and communications theory under your belt, consider the predictions they make. How have concepts
such as Cyberwar and Netwar manifested politically and culturally? How have activists, artists, and cultural thinkers claimed and manipulated these tools for the cause of social justice? How is society changing as a
result? What's on the horizon?

Feel free to challenge or critique Arquilla and Ronfeldt's assumptions about the role of information management and control.

The Communications Studies category is open to all undergraduate and graduate students.

A bit of context...
Cyberwar is Coming was penned in 1993 for the RAND Corporation, think-tank of choice for the American military and the rich and powerful all across the globe. In it, the authors coin terms like Cyberwar and Netwar and make predictions about how information will be used to sway public opinion, pressure governments and corporations, and even wage war. This is the real deal. A "heads up" to the Powers that Be about the coming Information Age, written right at the dawn of the internet.

There are two formats in which you can present your work:

1. Opinion piece:

The opinion piece must reflect a personal approach to the problems presented within the text but still approach the issues from the point of view of Communications Studies.

     Length: 5-7 pages;
     Abstract: up to 100 words with 6 highlighted keywords.

On the title page, include your name and surname, field of study, e-mail, the title of the piece, an abstract and keywords.

2. Annotated academic article:

Evaluate the Arquilla and Ronfeldt text in light of recent academic work on the subject of information management and control. You may either support or contest their claims by citing writings from Communications Studies scholars. You may also present original independent research on the issue.

    Length: 5-7 pages;
    Summary: up to 100 words and 6 key words (in English also);

Your work should be presented in conventional essay format and citations should consistently follow one of the dominant social-science styles. On the front page, include your name and surname, field of study, e-mail address, the title of the article, an abstract of the article with keywords.

Cyberwar is Coming

Download this excerpt from

Cyberwar is Coming by John Arquilla and David Ronfeldt:

   - view in new window (HTML document)
   - download .doc directly
   - download .doc in ZIP file

Read Cyberwar is Coming, a report from 1993 by John Arquilla and David Ronfeldt and with ten years of hindsight consider the predictions they make from a Sociological standpoint. How have concepts such as Cyberwar and Netwar manifested socially - not only through the interaction of decision makers, but among activists, artists and other cultural agents? How is society changing as a result? What's on the horizon?

The Sociology category is open to all undergraduate and graduate students.

A bit of context...
Cyberwar is Coming was penned in 1993 for the RAND Corporation, think-tank of choice for the American military and the rich and powerful all across the globe. In it, the authors coin terms like Cyberwar and Netwar and make predictions about how information will be used to sway public opinion, pressure governments and corporations, and even wage war. This is the real deal. A "heads up" to the Powers that Be about the coming Information Age, written right at the dawn of the internet.

There are two formats in which you can present your work:

1. Opinion piece:

The opinion piece must reflect a personal approach to the problems presented within the text but still approach the issues from a Sociological point of view.

    Length: 5-7 pages;
    Abstract: up to 100 words with 6 highlighted keywords.

On the title page, include your name and surname, field of study, e-mail, the title of the piece, an abstract and keywords.

2. Annotated academic article:

Evaluate the Arquilla and Ronfeldt text in light of recent academic work on the subject of information management and control. You may either support or contest their claims by citing writings from Sociology scholars. You may also present original independent research on the issue.

   Length: 5-7 pages;
   Summary: up to 100 words and 6 key words (in English also);

Your work should be presented in conventional essay format and citations should consistently follow one of the dominant social-science styles. On the front page, include your name and surname, field of study, e-mail address, the title of the article, an abstract of the article with keywords.