I have to admit I’m a big fan of William Gibson. For those who have never read any of his novels (yeah, I know… look at who I’m talking to… we’ve ALL read his stuff), he often describes the Matrix (our Internet) as a very hostile place. In his dystopia, global companies competed with each other, and that competition extended into the digital world - where life was risked and the result of a misstep was death.

It is because of this I am fascinated by news stories where countries attack other countries. The latest news takes us back to the philisophical and territorial conflict between Russia and Kyrgystan. There have been three successful attacks by Russia against neighboring countries, with the latest occuring this month. Rumor has it that the Russian government has paid for these attacks, or conducted them themselves. Regardless who is behind it, these attacks could easily be capable of destroying economies if conducted for any length of time.

I’ve always felt that the Internet was probably the best example of how Anarchism could function in modern society; and these types of attacks demonstrate the inability to regulate the Internet and “making it safe.” Can we expect larger and more comprehensive attacks? Absolutely - that is a big fear in the United States; an organized group could attack the U.S. infrastructure and military, and cripple the country.

These types of attacks will continue, and as long as I’m on the sidelines and unaffected, I will watch with anticipation to see where all this leads; whether it is what has been described by Gibson, or worse. Regardless, the more advanced countries and groups become, the quicker they will turn to cyberspace to launch their attacks.