America And International Cyber Warfare

The Washington Post reported today on an alleged cyberattack on an Illinois water plant. Apparently, the mischief succeeded in creating equipment malfunctions and consequent closure of the water facility. The attack's source was traced to a Russian IP address. The Post story relied for its key information from one source, an "industry security expert," whose due diligence found a report which outlined the incident and its immediate consequences.

(Postscript -- The Saturday, November 26th online edition of the Washington Post reports that the alleged attack on the Illinois water plant "was in fact caused by a plant contractor traveling in Russia." The story, released over the slow-news Thanksgiving weekend, also noted that "Plant and federal officials are still investigating the cause of the pump's failure." Why a contractor's computer activity could shut down a water plant's operation also remains unexplained.)

Regardless of this case's outcome, it does highlight what  mayhem cyber warfare and industrial espionage can cause. For some time, the sources of most high-profile cyberattacks against American assets have been Russia, Eastern Europe, and the People's Republic of China. Israel and France have also conducted cyberattacks and state-supported espionage, principally to acquire sensitive corporate information, rather than disrupt the American security state.

Russian involvement has sinister and dangerous overtones, thanks to its blurring of boundaries between the state and the underworld. However, China is the most ominous state player, with its apparent imperialistic ambitions, aggressive will, and ample means to launch and maintain disruptive activity to American computer-based systems. Beijing's goals include the ability to defend itself against what it perceives as American electronic intrusion. This drive has manifested itself in episodes such as the Chinese government's continuing anti-Google campaign.

Meanwhile, there is increasing evidence that the United States empire is on a collision course with its emerging Chinese counterpart. As the Greek historian Thucydides observed, it is in the nature of hegemony for these conflicts to happen. The Chinese government and military have few doubts about this development. They're getting ready, looking for American weak spots, preparing to exploit advantage when the situation seems ripe for it. Meanwhile, our military-industrial complex and its governmental allies are slowly coming around to understanding the challenge's full dimensions. Ultimately, the American government will need to ally much more openly with its elite tech firms to counteract hostile, state-sponsored cyberwarfare. Whether Silicon Valley libertarians, DC technocrats, and military brass can coalesce to fight back against this shadow over American international dominance remains to be seen.

Frederic Chaubin's Photographs of 1980s Soviet Architecture

A blog item in today's online edition of the LA Times discussed a book of French photographer Frederic Chaubin's images of 1980s architecture in former Soviet Union republics. One has to see them to believe them. If architecture intends to interpret and manage social imperatives, these structures leaves one puzzled. It's tempting to simply assign "visions of the future" to these edifices and call it a day. I don't think that's the case, as these buildings and monuments were clearly intended for immediate use and contemplation.

It is definitely worth one's time to view the available images from online links. A very good one is avaiable from the ZKM/Museum fur Neue Kunst, a Karlsruhe, Germany institution that had a 2011 exhibit of Chaubin's work. The link includes an engaging, four-minute video of Chaubin discussing his work. Another interesting interview with Chaubin is provided by the now-defunct, Japan-based website PingMag.

While Chaubin's book is a new release, his project is not exactly fresh. The images have taken something of a world tour for at least the past four years. In 2007, The New York Times reviewed a Gotham gallery's show of these photographs. Chaubin's personal website is unfortunately currently under construction.

The Chaubin image in this blog shows The Central Research and Design Institute for Robotics and Technical Cybernetics in St. Petersburg, Russia.

PS. Apologies to those who are literate in French and/or German. I've left out the diacritical marks in certain words, as I'm not confident the Google software can successfully handle them. Anyone who can offer a solution is welcome to post it here.

Internet-Inspired Revolutions: Chinese and Russian Empires Strike Back

Events in North Africa and the Middle East have reasonably caught the world's attention. However, there are some very interested parties which have been rather quiet during the recent uproar across the Islamic crescent of nations. Prime candidates include Russia and China.

Both countries have a ruling class whose appetite for control permits no quarter with free expression. Both China and Russia have a history of repression in the name of "progress." Both nations have populations that could resort to volatile behavior as a means of mass expression. And both former Communist monoliths harbor profound reservations about the Internet.

Chinese president Hu Jintao, in a recent speech at Beijing's elite Central Party School, was blunt about his concerns. The Asian edition of The Wall Street Journal noted his remarks at the end of an article about the Chinese government's heebie jeebies over the Internet's role in the downfall of North African regimes.

The key quote is as follows:

"At present, our country has an important strategic window for development, but is also in a period of magnified social conflicts," he said. Among the steps Beijing had to take, Mr. Hu said, was "further strengthening and improving management of the Internet, improving the standard of management of virtual society, and establishing mechanisms to guide online public opinion."

It's easy to imagine Russia's Vladimir Putin feeling that he and Hu are kindred spirits on this issue.

One wonders what the Chinese government's "improving management of the Internet," or "establishing mechanisms to guide online public opinion" might mean in practice.

Like it or not, the United States remains the global counterpoint to China's dark police state and Russia's gangster nation. That's one very important reason why our country must recover its economic mojo. The sooner we get it, the better off the world will be.