The Zapatista Social Netwar in Mexico

Abstract

This study was prepared for a research project on "Stability and the Military in Mexico." The research was sponsored by Deputy Chief of Staff for Intelligence and was conducted in RAND Arroyo Center's Strategy and Doctrine Program. The Arroyo Center is a federally funded research and development center sponsored by the United States Army. The study reports on a case of "netwar," a concept that we have been developing for the purpose of understanding the nature of conflict in the information age (Arquilla and Ronfeldt, 1996b). Although the focus is on the Zapatista movement in Mexico, and on the responses thereto of the Mexican government and army, the study also identifies some implications for possible future netwars elsewhere around the world. This study focuses mainly on the 1994-1996 period, in part because that was the heyday of this social netwar, but also because the study's preliminary findings were initially briefed to the sponsor in June 1996, and the first draft appeared in December 1996. This final publication is much revised and updated from the draft.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jan 01, 1998
Accession Number
ADA360745

Entities

People

  • David Ronfeldt
  • Graham E. Fuller
  • John Arquilla
  • Melissa Fuller

Organizations

  • RAND Corporation

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical
  • Cyber
  • Energy and Power Technologies
  • Engineered Resilient Systems
  • Ground and Sea Platforms
  • Space

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Force
  • Computer Communications
  • Contingency Operations (Military)
  • Demography
  • Electronic Mail
  • Ethnic Groups
  • Families (Human)
  • International Organizations
  • International Relations
  • Military Organizations
  • Military Science
  • National Politics
  • National Security
  • Political Systems
  • Public Policy
  • Terrorists
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Business Analytics
  • Personnel Management and Statistics in the Military and Department of Defense
  • Political Violence and Terrorism Studies.