Netwar - Historical Context

Historical Context

The theory of netwar rests on the prediction that networks, enabled by information technology, will become the dominant form of organization following past eras of tribal, institutional/hierarchical, and market based societies.

Proponents of netwar argue that globalization has set the stage for the rise of networks. Borders are now more permeable to flows of people, capital, and information; non-state actors have gained power vis-à-vis states; and the information revolution has empowered individuals and dispersed groups. States have begun experimenting with networking and cooperation to tackle transnational issues, non-governmental organizations have formed transnational advocacy networks around shared goals, multinational corporations have distributed and networked their operations around the globe, and even criminal and terrorist organizations have shifted to more agile and resilient network forms.

Advances in communications technologies have played a large part in enabling globalization, and likewise play a crucial role in enabling netwar. Networks, especially global or transnational networks, require “rapid, dense, multidirectional communications to function well and endure”. This level of communication has only now been made easily attainable and affordable with the spread of the internet, satellite communications, cellular phones, digitization, wireless communications, fax, email, etc., all of which allow “diverse, dispersed, autonomous actors to consult, coordinate, and act jointly across great distances on the basis of more, better, and faster information than ever before”.