Reading the Mind of Thomas Friedman

Friedman, Thomas L., The World is Flat: A Brief History
of the Twenty-first Century. Farrar, Straus and Giroux, 2005.

In Thomas Firiedman’s book on the World Is Flat, at the end of the book’s chapter, he tries to link globalization and terrorism. This is what he has to say: Globalization in general has been al-Qaeda’s friend in that it has helped to solidify the revival of Muslim identity and solidarity, with Muslims in one country much able to see and sympathize with the struggles of their brethren in another country – thanks to the Internet and satellite television.

He believes that the Internet is an enormously useful tool for the dissemination of propaganda, conspiracy theories and plain old untruths, because it combines a huge reach with a patina of technology that makes anything on the Internet somehow more believable.

While the danger that cyber terrorism poses to the Internet is frequently debated, surprisingly little is known about the threat posed by terrorist’ use of the Internet. A recent six year-long study shows that terrorist organizations and their supporters have been using all of the tools that the Internet offers to recruit supporters, raise funds, and launch a worldwide campaign of fear. It is also clear that to combat terrorism effectively, more suppression of their tools is not enough.

According to Friedman’s research, in 2004-2005 revealed that the existence of hundreds of websites serving terrorists in different, albeit sometimes overlapping way. There are countless examples of how terrorists use this uncensored medium to spread disinformation, to deliver threats intended to instill fear and helplessness, and to disseminate horrific images of recent actions.

The Internet has significantly expanded the opportunities for terrorists to secure publicity. Until the advent of the Internet, terrorists’ hopes of winning publicity for their causes and activities depended on attracting the attention of television, radio or the print media.

The fact that terrorists themselves have direct control over the content of their websites offers further opportunities to shape how they are perceived by different target audiences and to manipulate their image and the images of their enemies. Most terrorist sites do not celebrate their violent activities. Instead – regardless of their nature, motives, or location – most terrorist sites emphasize two issues: the restrictions placed on freedom of expression; and the plight of their comrades who are now political prisoners. These issues resonate powerfully with their own supporters and are also calculated to elicit sympathy from Western audiences that cherish freedom of expression and frown on measures to silence political opposition.

Terrorists have proven not only skillful at online marketing but also adept at mining the data offered by the billion-some pages of the World Wide Web. They can learn from the Internet about the schedules and locations of targets such as transportation facilities, nuclear power plants, public buildings, airports and ports, and even counter terrorism measures

In his book, he cited examples where cyber terrorism has been used in previous years. One captured al-Qaeda computer contained engineering and structural architecture features of dam, which had been downloaded from the Internet and which would enable al-Qaeda engineers and planners to stimulate catastrophic failures. In other captured computers, US investigators found evidence that al-Qaeda operators spent time on sites that offer software and programming instructions for the digital switches that run power, water, transportation, and communications grids.

Like many other political organizations, terrorist groups use the Internet to raise funds. Al-Qaeda, for example, has always depended heavily on donations, and its global fundraising network is built upon a foundation of charities, NGOs, and other financial institutions that use websites and Internet-based chat rooms and forums. In addition to soliciting financial aid online, terrorist recruit converts by using the full panopoly of website technologies (audio, digital video, etc.)

Recruiters may also use more interactive Internet technology to roam online chat rooms and cyber cafes, looking for receptive members of the public, particularly young people. Hence, the Internet also grants terrorist a cheap and efficient means of networking. Through the Internet, these loosely interconnected groups are able to maintain contact with another – and with members of other terrorist groups. For instance, dozens of sites supporting terrorism in the name of jihad permit terrorists in places as far-removed from one another as Chechnya and Malaysia to exchange ideas and practical information about how to build bombs, establish terror cells, and carry out attacks.

IMAGINATION (for imagined virtual community)

Friedman cited this adage from Albert Einstein “Imagination is more important than knowledge “. He also cited this in a New Yorker cartoon by Peter Steiner, July 5, 1993On the Internet, nobody knows you’re a dog – Two dogs talking to each other.

He feels that societies that have more memories than dreams, too many people are spending too many days looking backward. They see dignity, affirmation, and self-worth not by mining present but by chewing on the past. Indeed, such societies focus all their imagination on making that imagined past even more beautiful than it ever was, and then they cling to it like a rosary or a strand of worry beads, rather than imagining a better future and acting on that.