Terror and the Internet.

Weimann, G. (2006). Terror on the Internet. The new arena, the new challenges. Washington, DC: United States Institute of Peace Press. 256 pages.

To reach maximal disruption with minimal means--this has always been the objective of terrorism. But it was not until the age of electronic mass communication that this goal could finally be realized. The claim that the global sphere of the World Wide Web has, among other things, truly become a breeding ground for international terrorism is massively substantiated by the findings of Gabriel Weimann at Haifa University, Israel. He describes cyberspace as the ideal meeting place for all the supporters of a terrorist cause, a widespread, round-the-clock, ticking platform for the anonymous exchange of information as well as a tool for professional fundraising, recruitment, and mobilization of new proselytes of both genders and all ages. Because of its decentralized structure and the wide array of multimedia tools, for Weimann the Internet is the perfect new arena for engaging in all sorts of terrorist activities.

Reading Weimann's book makes it seem plausible that terrorists finally have found the weapon for waging the psychological war against their enemies. Hence the disturbingly long list of ways terrorists are using the Web for their cause, starting with the simple and easy collection of useful data, such as the timetables for all kinds of public transport and the exact location of promising targets; communicating among different terrorist organizations through e-mail and chat rooms; as well as accessing downloadable instructional material such as videos and manuals on how to build bombs. In short, every tool the ultra-rapid technological progress of the last few years has churned out is being used by terrorists everywhere and most of it is available absolutely free of charge.

Over a period of 7 years, Weimann has unearthed new evidence of an electronic jihad, systematically analyzing it in terms of its target audiences and its rhetoric. It is based on this empirical research that he concludes the Internet has become an important, and often a vital, instrument for the realization of a number of fatal terrorist attacks that have occurred over the last few years, for example, September 11th. There is no reason to believe that its importance will diminish any time soon. Instead a disturbing cumulating trend can be found: showing that there has been a veritable explosion of the number of Web sites set up and operated by terrorist groups--from 12 in 1998 to 4,800 in 2006. And while a few years ago, only half of all the 37 terrorist organizations designated as such by the U.S. State Department ran Web sites, in 2004 all of them did, many offering several Internet platforms at once.

Nevertheless, the terrorism fighters are well advised to use the Web just as their opponents do, but in even more clever and, hence, technologically more astute ways. Whether such attempts will prove effective or not, however, is beyond Weimann's empirical scope. As this does at least seem plausible there is one more reason to recommend his book for those interested in the subject, notably all those in the media.

Stephan A. Weichert (Ph. D., University of Hamburg, Germany) is Senior Assistant/Researcher at the Institute for Media and Communication Policy in Berlin and works as a journalist. His research fields include media events, quality press, and terrorism and media.