ABSTRACT
Cyberspace is an ‘emergent phenomenon’1 of the Information Age at the beginning of which, for better or worse, humanity now finds itself. No good historian would yet attempt to write a history of its impact upon human society because it is still too early to tell. Nevertheless we implicitly understand that it is very large because cyberspace already touches so many aspects of daily life. Individuals, groups, corporations and governments are investing enormous amounts of time and money in cyberspace. It is transforming the way we do all sorts of things from the ways in which we make money and govern ourselves to the ways in which we maintain friendships and find spiritual and intellectual sustenance. It is also changing the way that we fight wars of all sorts, including insurgency. Insurgency is also an emergent phenomenon. As John Mackinlay (2009: 5) explains, amongst its most salient features is that it naturally reflects the society from which it emerges:
the techniques of an insurgency evolve with the societies from which it arises. Since the Cold War the pace of social change has accelerated dramatically, not just in the rich, secure nations of the northern hemisphere, but also in developing countries as they have become gripped by global change. Just as the structures of these societies have altered out of all recognition, so it is possible that an insurgency arising from them can take on unforeseen characteristics. Furthermore, if the communications revolution has given birth to global communities and global movements, so too can it herald a form of insurgent energy that is de-territorialised and globally connected.
