英国大学media专业dissertation

英国大学media专业dissertation

“战争”的概念很难用简单的一句话来概括定义。世界大战通常定义为洲际之间的战争，主要军事强国支持各自的联盟集团，在陆地、海洋和天空中扩展了跨多个地区进行军事行动，世界战争将影响各大洲(战争的变化，2010年)。为了了解战争确切的定义，首先我们要明白什么是战争。许多人都花时间与精力在探究战争或冲突发生的原因上，而这是不够的。同样重要的是要了解导致战争发生的武器，而不仅仅探究其背后的原因。当听到“战争武器”的时候，许多人会认为就是指喷火器、手榴弹、刺刀、手枪、机关枪、步枪、毒气、坦克和迫击炮等基本的武器（杜菲，2009年）。但最重要的是我们得了解那些不明显的武器，比如信息技术和互联网。
 

万维网也称为互联网，是一个计算机网络系统，它能存储和检索大量的各种各样的信息需求。“这是一个能在计算机之间即时传送数据或文件的全球计算机网络” （改善法律词典，2007年）。应该注意的是，互联网是一个特殊的指挥和控制装置，它可以访问任何地方任何距离的信息，也是一个不容易受其他事物干扰的通信设备。
 

The term ‘war’ is a concept that is hard to narrow down to one particular definition. World war is conventionally defined as an interstate war fought between leading military powers supported by their respective alliance blocs where the scope of military engagement, on land and sea and in the air, extends across several world regions and where the impact or war reaches every continent (The Changing Nature of War. 2010). To gain a firm understanding on the definition we first we have to establish what is war? Many people devote time and energy into considerations of the causes and personalities behind the conflict or war and not the way it was carried out. It is equally important to understand the weapons of war and not only the reasoning behind it. When people hear the words ‘weapons of war’, many would assume they are talking about the obvious tools of force such as Flamethrowers, Grenades, Bayonets, Pistols, Machine Guns, Rifles, Poison Gas, Tanks and trench mortars etc. (Duffy, 2009). However it is just as vital to understand the less obvious weapons of war such as technology and the internet. The side with the most equipped technology is more likely to win a war and it is vital to remember that the internet is by far a fundamental weapon of war.
 

The World Wide Web, also known as the Internet, is a computer network system that stores and retrieves a vast variety of information on demand. “It’s a global computer network through which the almost-instant delivery of data or files occurs between connected computers” (Duhaime Legal Dictionary. 2007). It should be noted that the internet is an exceptional command and control apparatus that can be accessed by any geographical distance and it is not easily interfered with by other means of communications equipment. It is accessible even in the most remote places of the world, from war’s taking part in Iraq to war’s in the USA, assuming intelligence has the correct technology the internet can be accessed by a linkage to a satellite in out of space providing you with the resources and the information requested on demand.#p#分页标题#e#
 

A prime area of the internet as a weapon of war is the ways of communication between nations, between alliances and between civilians. Communications between out of space satellites via the internet to spy of enemies and to direct targets to the control point, as well as communication to the world through hostage video all has a role in the use of the internet. The internet can be a way of expressing public fear into nations by reporting on events that are happening during the war and by the circulation of hostage videos from the enemy. The government also face difficulties in controlling what is sent via the internet and find the policies in place for controlling the newspapers and Television are no where near adequate enough to control the internet. “In fact, the Internet can serve as a terrorist’s TV or radio station, or his international newspaper or journal” (Thomas, 2003, p. 114). “The web allows an uncensored and unfiltered version of events to be broadcast worldwide. Chat rooms, websites, and bulletin boards are largely uncontrolled, with few filters in place. The internet provides terrorists with anonymity, command and control resources, and a host of other measures to coordinate and integrate attack options” (Thomas, 2003, p. 114).
 

Centuries ago, in world wars such as World War One (1914-1918), the internet and technology played a minimal role in the outcome of a war or a battle, The war back then was predominately focused on ground gun battle where a platoon would try to out manoeuvre its enemy and kill by use of ground force troops with rifles etc. “The First World War remains costly in terms of deaths and casualties. From a population of fewer than five million, 416,809 men enlisted, of which over 60,000 killed and 156,000 wounded, gassed or taken prisoner” (First World War 1914–18, 2010, Commemoration, para 1).To leap forth to the more recent decades is where society realizes in an instant the incredible dynamic that is involved in the world of intelligence and its supporting communications technologies. “The Internet era brings an on-rush of changes, both revolutionary and subtle, to the work of intelligence—changes in the doctrine and practice of collection, analysis, and broadcasting; and changes in the mindsets and relationships between intelligence and law enforcement, intelligence and the policymaker, and intelligence and the military commander” (Clift, 2007, CSI Publications, para. 5).
 

The internet as a weapon of war is vital to a country in winning a war or winning a battle. Accessing the opponent’s information and task moves from around the globe is essential to our national security and survival. An example where a country defeated another due to having more equipped technology and internet skills is evident in the conflicts in Kuwait (1991), Serbia (1999), and in Iraq (2003). Baylis states that “American technology proved vastly superior to that of its opponent. In particular, computing and space technology allowed the US forces to acquire information about the enemy to a degree never before seen in warfare, and allowed precision targeting of weapons systems” (Baylis, 2008, p. 217). He continues to state that “Advanced communications allowed generals to exercise detailed and instant control over the development battle and to respond quickly to developments. The speed, power, and accuracy of the weapons employed allowed them to be carefully targeted so as to destroy vital objectives without inflicting unnecessary casualties on civilian populations, through absolute precision and reliability proved impossible to achieve. Opponents lacking counters to these technologies found themselves helpless in the face of overwhelming American superiority” (Baylis, 2008, p. 217). The above conflicts between countries wouldn’t have been able to carry out the emense attacks that they did without the internet playing a key role in aquiring the information and the linkage between out of space satalites and the intelligence headquarters proving yet again that the internet is by far a primary weapon of war.#p#分页标题#e#
 

For many communities, global issues are local issues and local issues are global issues.
 

With the internet being an option for terrorists to utilize it’s capabilities in their attack’s to target specialized digital devices that can cause instant catastrophe are becoming increasingly distressing with these digital control devices being connected to the internet and lacking basic security. Bishop states examples of how specialized digital devices can be easily terrorised with the throwing of “railway switches and adjust valves in pipes that carry water, oil and gas” (2003, p. 119). Furthermore, “utilities worldwide allow technicians to remotely manipulate digital controls, and information on how to do this is widely available” (Bishop, 2003, p.119). And it doesn’t stop there, the skill of a hacker or terrorist who has the ability to send computer virus’s which can be activated on command, the ability to send falsifying information to government websites via the internet and the ability to hack into civilians emails and access personal information presents society with new points of weakness. (Bishop, 2003) All these global issues are seen as local issues to each individual community. The way the internet can be utilized by terrorist shows yet again that the internet can be used on all scales of war, whether it is at a degree of world war or the war against terrorism.
 

A prime example of a country using the internet as a weapon of war is demonstrated throughout history predominantly during the more recent wars where technology has become more advanced. Technology is rapidly advancing in the world today. For certain weapons of war to work at their best, it needs the speed and accuracy of the internet to be able to function. The internet can be seen as a secure way of communication rather than other means. “Evidence strongly suggests that terrorists used the internet to plan their operations for 9/11. Computers seized in Afghanistan reportedly revealed that al Qaeda was collecting intelligence on targets and sending encrypted messages via the internet (Thomas, 2003, p.112). As recently as 16 September 2002, al Qaeda cells operating in America reportedly were using internet-based phone services to communicate with cells overseas. These incidents indicate that the internet is being used as a “cyber planning” tool for terrorists. It provides terrorists with anonymity, command and control resources and a host of other measures to coordinate and integrate attack options” (Thomas, 2003, p.112).
 

With the advances in technology, the dynamics of war are also shifting which is marked throughout history. The dramatic changes seen from WWI to the more present wars are evidence of how war changes over time and how the internet and technology has played a vital role. The internet computer system is expanding hastily and there are even studies commissioned by the international commission on Nuclear Non-proliferation and Disarmament (ICNND), which suggest “that under the right circumstances, terrorists could break into computer systems and launch an attack on a nuclear state- triggering a catastrophic chain of events that would have a global impact” (Internet Nuclear Attack Possibility. 2009, cybercrime, para 2).#p#分页标题#e#
 

Nuclear warfare is also another weapon of war that the internet plays a vital role in. The United States detonated the first world’s nuclear weapon in 1945, in a period of 15 years later in 1960; France became the fourth state to test a nuclear weapon showing a increase in production along with knowledge and resources in the nuclear warfare (Baylis, 2008), but it’s the military bases that can be hacked into via the internet to not only gain vital information useful to the defence force, but to also gain the launch codes for the nuclear weapons and for missile’s etc. its not always the defence force or other government organisations hacking into each others software, it can be the curiosity of the general hacker who has the talent and ability to hack into government websites and look at top secret information, whether they intend to use the information in a destructive manner or not is irrelevant, the fact is that information is easily accessible to computer literate individuals through the internet and again concurs how the internet can be utilised as a weapon of war.
 

“While war is less common and less deadly than in the 1945-92 period, it remains a brutal and inhumane form of politics” (Baylis, 2008, p.224). Weapons of war vary from ground force to computers. It should be noted that no matter how many ground weapons on the battlefield there is always going to be a dramatic weapon of war in computers and the internet that could decide who wins and who loses a battle. The way technology is advancing in this day and age will improve the internet’s capabilities to gain information and knowledge on their opponents even further and change the way war is fought, the internet does have the capabilities to dictate how a war is carried out and through history and evidence it is clear that the internet is and foremost a weapon of war.