David Ronfeldt and John Arquilla, authors of Netwar, one of the inspirations and sources for Smart Mobs, have published a paper on soft power and the emergence of noopolitik in the information age in First Monday:
As the information age deepens, a globe-circling realm of the mind is being created - the “noosphere” that Pierre Teilhard de Chardin identified 80 years ago. This will increasingly affect the nature of grand strategy and diplomacy. Traditional realpolitik, which ultimately relies on hard (principally military) power, will give way to the rise of noöpolitik (or noöspolitik), which relies on soft (principally ideational) power. This paper reiterates the authors’ views as initially stated in 1999, then adds an update for inclusion in a forthcoming handbook on public diplomacy. One key finding is that non-state actors - unfortunately, especially Al Qaeda and its affiliates - are using the Internet and other new media to practice noöpolitik more effectively than are state actors, such as the U.S. government. Whose story wins - the essence of noöpolitik - is at stake in the worldwide war of ideas
David Ronfeldt and John Arquilla, authors of Netwar, one of the inspirations and sources for Smart Mobs, have published a paper on soft power and the emergence of noopolitik in the information age in First Monday:
As the information age deepens, a globe-circling realm of the mind is being created - the “noosphere” that Pierre [...]
Comments
@ 01:53
Thanks for the heads-up, looks like interesting reading.
This reminds me of a research paper by the Aspen Institute entitled : “THE RISE OF NETPOLITIK : How the Internet Is Changing International Politics and Diplomacy”.
We had interviewed the author at the time about what he called the rise of Netpolitik, ie realpolitik in the age of the Internet (”Netpolitik is an emerging style of international diplomacy that is based on new varieties of “soft power” such as moral legitimacy, cultural identity, societal values and public perception. These forces have always been influential in international relations, of course, but the Internet is now greatly amplifying their influence.”)
Here’s the interview, with a link to the full study: http://www.netpolitique.net/php/interviews/interview28uk.php3)
@ 15:12
resolving conflicts…
A good story does not end a conflict of ideas. A conflict of ideas is more likely to end when tedium, absurdity dessicated of humor, or irrelevance obscures enough of the contending ideas. Accumulation of relevant facts and development of reasoning ab…