按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！
chains …that is； nonstate actors； be they criminals or terrorists； who learn to use
all the elements of the flat world to advance a highly destabilizing； even nihilistic
agenda。 I first started thinking about this when Nandan Nilekani； the Infosys CEO；
was giving me that tour I referred to in Chapter 1 of his company's global
videoconferencing center at its Bangalore headquarters。 As Nandan explained to me
how Infosys could getits global supply chain together atonce for a virtual conference
in that room； a thought popped into my head： Who else uses open…sourcing and
supply…chaining so imaginatively？ The answer； of course； is al…Qaeda。
Al…Qaeda has learned to use many of the same instruments for global collaboration
that Infosys uses； but instead of producing products and profits with them； it has
produced mayhem and murder。 This is a particularly difficult problem。 In fact； it
may be the most vexing geopolitical problem for flat…world countries that want to
focus on the future。 The flat world…unfortunately…is a friend of both Infosys and
al…Qaeda。 The Dell Theory will not work at all against these informal Islamo…Leninist
terror networks； because they are not a state with a population that will hold its
leaders accountable or with a domestic business lobby that might restrain them。 These
mutant global supply chains are formed for the purpose of destruction； not profit。
They don't need investors； only recruits；
430
donors； and victims。 Yet these mobile； self…financing mutant supply chains use all
the tools of collaboration offered by the flat world…open…sourcing to raise money；
to recruit followers； and to stimulate and disseminate ideas； outsourcing to train
recruits； and supply…chaining to distribute the tools and the suicide bombers to
undertake operations。 The U。S。 Central Command has a name for this whole underground
network： the Virtual Caliphate。 And its leaders and innovators understand the flat
world almost as well as Wal…Mart； Dell； and Infosys do。
In the previous chapter； I tried to explain that you cannot understand the rise of
al…Qaeda emotionally and politically without reference to the flattening of the world。
What I am arguing here is that you cannot understand the rise of al…Qaeda technically
without reference to the flattening of the world； either。 Globalization in general
has been al…Qaeda's friend in that it has helped to solidify a revival of Muslim
identity and solidarity； with Muslims in one country much better able to see and
sympathize with the struggles of their brethren in another country…thanks to the
Internet and satellite television。 At the same time； as pointed out in the previous
chapter； this flattening process has intensified the feelings of humiliation in some
quarters of the Muslim world over the fact that civilizations to which the Muslim
world once felt superior…Hindus； Jews； Christians； Chinese …are now all doing better
than many Muslim countries； and everyone can see it。 The flattening of the world has
also led to more urbanization and large…scale immigration to the West of many of these
young； unemployed； frustrated Arab…Muslim males； while simultaneously making it much
easier for informal open…source networks of these young men to form； operate； and
interconnect。 This certainly has been a boon for underground extremist Muslim
political groups。 There has been a proliferation of these informal mutual supply
chains throughout the Arab…Muslim world today…small networks of people who move money
through hawalas （hand…to…hand financing networks）； who recruit through alternative
education systems like the madrassas； and who communicate through the Internet and
other tools of the global information revolution。 Think about it： A century ago；
anarchists were limited in their ability to communicate and collaborate with one
another； to find sympathizers； and to band together for an
431
operation。 Today； with the Internet； that is not a problem。 Today even the Unabomber
could find friends to join a consortium where his 〃strengths〃 could be magnified and
reinforced by others who had just as warped a worldview as he did。
What we have witnessed in Iraq is an even more perverse mutation of this mutant supply
chain…the suicide supply chain。 Since the start of the U。S。 invasion in March 2002；
more than two hundred suicide bombers have been recruited from within Iraq and from
across the Muslim world； brought to the Iraqi front by some underground railroad；
connected with the bomb makers there； and then dispatched against U。S。 and Iraqi
targets according to whatever suits the daily tactical needs of the insurgent Islamist
forces in Iraq。 I can understand； but not accept； the notion that more than
thirty…seven years of Israeli occupation of the West Bank might have driven some
Palestinians into a suicidal rage。 But the American occupation of Iraq was only a
few months old before it started to get hit by this suicide supply chain。 How do you
recruit so many young men 〃off the shelf〃 who are ready to commit suicide in the cause
of jihad； many of them apparently not even Iraqis？ And they don't even identify
themselves by name or want to get credit…at least in this world。 The fact is that
Western intelligence agencies have no clue how this underground suicide supply chain；
which seems to have an infinite pool of recruits to draw on； works； and yet it has
basically stymied the U。S。 armed forces in Iraq。 From what we do know； though； this
Virtual Caliphate works just like the supply chains I described earlier。 Just as you
take an item off the shelf in a discount store in Birmingham and another one is
immediately made in Beijing； so the retailers of suicide deploy a human bomber in
Baghdad and another one is immediately recruited and indoctrinated in Beirut。 To the
extent that this tactic spreads； it will require a major rethinking of U。S。 military
doctrine。
The flat world has also been such a huge boon for al…Qaeda and its ilk because of
the way it enables the small to act big； and the way it enables small acts…the killing
of just a few people…to have big effects。 The horrific video of the beheading of Wall
Street Journal reporter Danny Pearl by Islamist militants in Pakistan was transmitted
by the Internet all over the world。 There is not a journalist anywhere who saw or
even just read
about that who was not terrified。 But those same beheading videos are also used as
tools of recruitment。 The flat world makes it much easier for terrorists to transmit
their terror。 With the Internet they don't even have to go through Western or Arab
news organizations but can broadcast right into your computer。 It takes much less
dynamite to transmit so much more anxiety。 Just as the U。S。 Army had embedded
journalists； so the suicide supply chain has embedded terrorists； in their own way；
to tell us their side of the story。 How many times have I gotten up in the morning；
fired up the Internet； and been confronted by the video image of some masked gunman
threatening to behead an American…all brought to me courtesy of AOL's home page？ The
Internet i