Open Source Terrorism

Global Guerillas looks at a new form of terrorism that looks very much like open source code development.

• Release early and often. Try new forms of attacks against different types of targets early and often. DonÂ’t wait for a perfect plan.
  
• Given a large enough pool of co-developers, any difficult problem will be seen as obvious by someone, and solved. Eventually some participant of the bazaar will find a way to disrupt a particularly difficult target. All you need to do is copy the process they used.
  
• Your co-developers (beta-testers) are your most valuable resource. The other guerrilla networks in the bazaar are your most valuable allies. They will innovate on your plans, swarm on weaknesses you identify, and protect you by creating system noise.
  
• Recognize good ideas from your co-developers. Simple attacks that have immediate and far-reaching impact should be adopted.
  
• Perfection is achieved when there is nothing left to take away (simplicity). The easier the attack is, the more easily it will be adopted. Complexity prevents swarming that both amplifies and protects.
  
• Tools are often used in unexpected ways. An attack method can often find reuse in unexpected ways.

Question is, how do you counteract this style of interaction? I guess this leads to 4GW (see below).

Then there is this article that describes Al-Qaeda's Grand Strategy. Disturbingly, it's a strategy developed by an American, Col. John Boyd. (Some very interesting military links at this link.)

There is also an interesting piece on fourth generation warfare that I found quite interesting.

4GW can be defined as a method of warfare that uses the following to achieve a moral victory:

• Undermines enemy strengths (this may seem obvious, but most of modern warfare has involved direct attacks on enemy strengths -- find the enemy army and destroy it).
• Exploits enemy weaknesses.
• Uses asymmetric operations (weapons and techniques that differ substantially from opponents).

All this makes it so clear about how little I know about war.