War and Peace in the Nuclear Age Book Review
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I of the best "finds" in this book is the reference to Cathay: The Three Warfares, a Pentagon study from 2013 which apparentl
The start half of this book is a pretty good summary of how other nations and not-nation states are deploying modern tools - social media, bots, fake sites, dark web, etc - to fight the war of ideas and data, especially the axis of evil states, Russia, China, and other de facto enemies (Islamic Country, et al), compared to the United states'due south effectiveness on the same fronts.One of the best "finds" in this volume is the reference to China: The Three Warfares, a Pentagon study from 2013 which apparently provides some rich detail into how the Chinese are operating on the globe stage compared to the United states of america. I've downloaded it and it seems to have the level of detail I was expected in Gertz' volume. Another "primal learning" was that the U.s.a. Information Bureau was disbanded in 1999 and rolled into the State Section
The biggest problem I have with iWar: War and Peace in the Information Age, is it speedily devolves into a diatribe against the liberal leftist political calendar and who the writer considers information technology's spiritual leader, President Obama. Past the time the second half of the book rolls around, the leftist calendar substantially becomes the new enemy of the Usa. The other large problem I have is that information technology's way more well-nigh war than peace.
Ironically, subsequently railing about feckless and ineffective regime geopolitical information battles and the swollen federal bureaucracy generally, the big solution recommended by the author at the end, The Information America Programme, is a series of massive interconnected government-driven projects in big data, cable news, global law, military information, and covert action.
The feeling I got is that the author believes nosotros have to substantially become our "enemies" - create massive propaganda machines to counter those beingness used against us. It'southward not exactly the "shining beacon of lite on the colina" approach. And I fear from the tone of the book that Gertz would but as presently plow the same propaganda machines onto who he views as the "enemy within," liberals and progressives.
...more than That said, Gertz does bring up some very important issues, what led to those issues, and potential ways to plough things around. The matter that bothered me the most about this book was more than about how Gertz continually blamed near of these bug on the Obama administration and Democrats in full general. I am non a supporter of either entity, and while they may be to blame for the bulk of the issues discussed, later on a while, it becomes very redundant to hear. That may in turn cause readers to tune out and abroad from the bulletin Gertz is trying to get across.
Overall, a well researched book with much to consider and remember nearly, especially as this will continue to be a contested area for years to come.
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Chapters include:
one) North Korea and its Sony cyber-attack;
2) Prc who urges the signing of a United nations cyber-peace treaty while conducting multiple attacks on corporate, noncombatant, armed forces, and utilities infrastructure, and publishing miltary doctrines on
Chapters include:
one) Democratic people's republic of korea and its Sony cyber-assail;
2) China who urges the signing of a UN cyber-peace treaty while conducting multiple attacks on corporate, civilian, military, and utilities infrastructure, and publishing miltary doctrines on the effectiveness of information/electronic warfare coupled with kinetic/missile warfare;
three) Russian federation who peppers social media with inflammatory posts to separate the American public, and to create ambiguity over the identify of the MH17 missile attack over Ukraine, as well every bit the foreign, unlabelled armed forces forces occupying in Crimea;
4) ISIS who uses social media as propaganda to recruit combatants and stir upward anti-Western feelings;
5) Islamic republic of iran who retaliated to USA'due south nuclear centrifuge (Stuxnet) assault with infrastructure attacks on U.s.'south hydro dams and financial institutions; and
half-dozen) the Liberal Left.
Await what?
Yes. The liberal left.
As information technology quickly becomes apparent in the offset few pages, the author shows a fierce and obsessive disdain for Obama and "the liberal left". He constantly accuses and insults Obama, his administration, "elite" news media, calling them "acolytes" or his "repeat bedchamber". He believes they are "Marxists" who have infiltrated into positions of power to impose their ideas on a nation built on "Judeo-Christian values and the American traditions of independence and liberty". He goes on to assault "Yippies" of the 1970s, and calls the concept of white privelege as "bogus". It's all incredulous, but in that location it is all on Page 287.
Not merely does it make his arguments seem more emotionally charged than factually accurate, it has also led him on several wayward discussions that have absolutely nothing to practice with Information Warfare, but just to attack Obama's foreign policy and his credo. For instance, he spends twenty pages from pages 232 to 251 with no mention of how Iran uses cyber-attack methods, instead preferring to set on Obama and his ideas of appeasement policies. And that was simply one of the many chapters.
I think there is nothing incorrect with being on the other side of the political spectrum, but the author has to put aside his personal prejudices and requite at-home, show-based arguments.
Conclusion:
If 1 successfully reads the book with a political filter, the book can be rather interesting. For all its grievances, it does nowadays the perspective that Obama'due south appeasement policies may non have worked. Signed agreements and regulations are rapidly broken with no repercussions or binding power. In an try to take the moral high ground, Obama refuses to bear counter-information warfare on social media, like what Russia or Prc has done.
And in fact, the writer's deep-seated political bias is itself a marvel to read. It gives yous an insight almost how the "right" thinks, and how piece of cake it is to go tempted into directing all discontentment onto an entity. You simply have to get over initial stages of atheism that he wrote an entire book of accusations with no citation, and that he loves ranting about Obama.
Practise skip the chapter on the Liberal Left though. The author completely batty by so.
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First, Gertz is so ready to go to war, but has never been a soldier. He is fuzzy on how much information and misinformation campai
This has a lot of useful content on information warfare and America's failings on this new front end, albeit steeped in some alarmist stances. It really did open my mind up to problems I didn't really remember were issues. The three things I dislike most Gertz's writing: His war hawk nature, his fixation on the left, and his double standards of left and right wing politics.First, Gertz is so ready to become to war, but has never been a soldier. He is fuzzy on how much information and misinformation campaigns should be directed towards allied citizens, foreign enemies and domestic residents. He gives no idea to what the US would get out of hostile actions to other powers. He also shows picayune to no agreement of the research on radicalization. Instead of understanding this phenomenon, he is convinced that Radical Islam is the new Communism. However, communists in the Cold State of war were born and left. Every unmarried Jihadist chose to come up. That lonely changes the playing field. I recommend Gertz read "Radicalization to Terrorism: What Anybody Needs to Know".
2d, he is absolutely fixated on how the liberal left is the reason for America's lagging behind in the information wars. It gets really bad in Chapters 7 & 8 ("Iran" & "The Left"). He spends one-half of Chapter 7 explaining why the Iran nuclear deal was bad, making me groan so many pages before getting to the point. Affiliate 8 borders on being exclusively an angry editorial on the left. While political correctness does go out of control often and is an ineffective concept implemented for the wrong reasons, labeling this every bit the sole reason for America's lag in the data wars is non only partisan, but too a missed opportunity of giving an honest analysis of a pressing problem.
Thirdly, he is ridiculously hellbent on tearing the left a new one. Yes, institutional Democrats SUCK at beingness difficult and aggressive. Aye, Obama bungled quite a few things. Just in that location was absolutely no talk on the right. What are the exact things the left is stifling? Gertz takes that knowledge as just known to the audience. Yes, Obama'due south administration should accept done better in anti-radicalization research and programming. But he did more than George Westward. Bush-league, who really should take been the indicate person on upgrading the military for information war, seeing every bit he waged two state wars.
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There are moments of assay and insight that are useful, as in the case of the assay of the North Korean hack of Sony Pictures (how he got some of the information is a point of business organization). Even so, he can't help simply arraign the liberals. It is all the liberals' error. Gertz tries to hash out the past efforts of the US to counter information warfare and some of its successes with the OSS confronting the Germans. Nevertheless, information technology is selective history. Claiming the CIA was likewise liberal...perchance a number of the people were, just that ignores American action in Latin/South America. Also, the OSS was hardly the juggernaut Gertz claims (the Soviets knew more almost the OSS than the US did). It was at this betoken I simply had to plough this off.
There was legitimate research and some insights, but the hyper-partisan nature of the thesis and writing was an immediate turn-off. Blood-red-picking history so blatantly is not unheard of, just it make this type of work practically uncredible.
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He correctly identifies the importance of data command, the social media platform (citing the example of ISIS using information technology, or the arab spring organizing themselves). However, he writes with farthermost disdain towards Obama'southward foreign politico
The books does a good task in highlighting cyber security threats and his prediction that more will come. Discusing to great lengths nearly the Sony Cyber attacks by NK, the Islamic republic of iran-US back and along attacks and Russia'south involvement in The states presidential elections 2016.He correctly identifies the importance of data control, the social media platform (citing the case of ISIS using it, or the arab spring organizing themselves). All the same, he writes with extreme disdain towards Obama's foreign policy when it comes to depict cyberspace. He describes it to be weak, pattern of inaction and suggests more active meddling. Nonetheless, his one-sided opioniated argument leaves a sour taste in my mouth that he does not appreciate the larger context of why the US stays out of local politics and is very narrow minded. Gertz even identified 'the liberal left' every bit a threat and the 'political correctness' damages American Superiority. His position on racial profiling and Islamaphobia is likewise misguided because his arguments on a correlation between Islamic and terrorism is tenuous. Gertz too described that "Climatic change has a dearth of scientific study" and I discover that highly misinformed (pg 207).
In addition, Gertz attitude towards warfare is scary. He seems predisposed to the apply of force, exerting Usa armed services dominance readily and seems to exist close an centre to personal liberties (such as innocent lives rights to life) and suffering. I detect that lack of discussion in his book worrisome to his character and morals.
Concluding the book, he suggests numerous actions: near of which emplyoing information warfare tactics that meddle in foreign countries internal affairs, explicitly broadcast pro-american values. I discover that condescending and arrogant.
The book started nifty but went to the drain really fast.
...more This book will make you lot more than ethno centric and fearful of people from other countries, although information technology is the intentions of those governments that afterwards doubtable. I did not similar his proposal most the beginning that deception might be the only way to protect our cou Did not get to read all of it. Opens your eyes to the scary world we alive in. And the potential upheaval. Hopefully none of the predictions in this volume come true. Only given the historical and well researched facts, they are all to likely.
This volume will make you more than ethno axial and fearful of people from other countries, although information technology is the intentions of those governments that afterward suspect. I did not like his proposal well-nigh the beginning that deception might be the merely way to protect our state, since everyone else is doing it. I do think that, like mentioned near the end, we should be promoters all effectually the earth of truth and human rights and types of government that are for the people. ...more
Update: I've finished reading Night Territory and Cybersecurity and Cyberwar since finishing iWar. I would recommend either of these other books over iWar.
The first few chapters had some enlightening information virtually various government(s) hacking and electronic espionage. Some how I finished reading the whole book in spite of all the ultra pro republican rhetoric. I don't think the author likes anyone.Update: I've finished reading Dark Territory and Cybersecurity and Cyberwar since finishing iWar. I would recommend either of these other books over iWar.
...more It's overall a quick read and it makes its points direct. One criticism is while the book has an splendid listing of references at the finish, information technology has but a f
The book was a fleck different than I expected and that is not a criticism. Like the title entails, it goes into detail on estimator warfare, our strengths and weaknesses, and the history of attacks on our internet infrastructure. Merely it also goes into how information warfare tin can influence a large grouping of people, even the population of nations.Information technology'due south overall a quick read and it makes its points directly. I criticism is while the book has an splendid list of references at the end, it has only a few footnotes. Perhaps I'g getting old fashioned, spoiled by other non-fiction books with all-encompassing noting, or the fact I just finished my principal's thesis and it was drilled into my head, but I believe footnoting is critical for your argument.
Otherwise, an excellent book to give you lot an overview of the new class of warfare nosotros're in, and why we need to exist engaged.
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