Derek Thornton

“A simple way to understand this is to think of these potential attacks as negative system perturbations—or more simply, as black swans, an unexpected negative event that cannot be predicted with any degree of certainty. The time, the target, and the form of the next system perturbations are unknown because they are clouded in uncertainty.”
― John Robb, Brave New War: The Next Stage of Terrorism and the End of Globalization

“In OSW, the source code of warfare is available for anyone who is interested in both modifying and extending it. This means the tactics, weapons, strategies, target selection, planning methods, and team dynamics are all open to community improvement. Global guerrillas can hack at the source code of warfare to their hearts’ delight.”
― John Robb, Brave New War: The Next Stage of Terrorism and the End of Globalization

“This fourth-generation warfare (4GW) codified the use of guerrilla and terrorist proxies as the primary means of warfare between states, large and small. In Lind et al.’s view, 4GW was a method of warfare that allowed the weak forces to defeat the strong.”
― John Robb, Brave New War: The Next Stage of Terrorism and the End of Globalization

“A primary loyalty is a form of ancient moral connection that transcends loyalty to the nation-state. These include connections to family, clan, tribe, gang, religion, and ethnicity. These loyalties are reciprocated through the delivery of political goods (economic aid, safety, and more) that the state cannot or will not deliver.”
― John Robb, Brave New War: The Next Stage of Terrorism and the End of Globalization