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Summary: Review from Information, Communication, Society
Review: "Arquilla and Ronfeldt's contributions provide the most interesting conceptual meat of the book. . . . They propose that 'information is a bigger, deeper concept than traditionally presumed, and should be treated as a basic, underlying and overarching dynamic of all theory and practice about warfare in the information-age.' This view of information as having a 'transcendent, if not independent, role' leads them into fascinating discussions of the nature of information and knowledge." (Information, Communication, Society)
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Summary: Review from Midwest Book Review
Review: "In Athena's Camp is essential reading for all military and civilian policy planners and a recommended addition to academic, corporate, and government library information technology reference book collections." (Midwest Book Review)
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Summary: Review from International Relations and Organizations
Review: "John Arquilla and David Ronfeldt . . . are two of the foremost writers on information age conflict and security affairs. . . . This volume . . . provides a useful primer for students of the contemporary American debate over the Revolution in Military Affairs (RMA) and Information Warfare/Operations (IW/O). . . . In Athena's Camp provides a handy reference for those wishing to understand how the notions of RMA and IW came to play such a dominant role in contemporary American defence policy and planning." (International Relations and Organizations)
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Summary: Review from IntellectualCapital.com
Review: "Typically thorough RAND fashion . . . The authors ponder, correctly, whether a rigid, military command structure can adapt to the decentralized organizational restructuring that Net war will demand. . . . The book correctly points out the importance of creating new doctrines within which to place the new technological developments. After all, to be effective, information must be combined with a coherent strategy, consistent organization and proper management of resources." (IntellectualCapital.com)
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Summary: One word: Outstanding.
Review: I recently graduated from USC with a degree in International Relations. My last research paper dealt with threats to US national security posed by networked information systems. My bibliography included many of the authors represented in "Athena's Camp." It's all gathered together in one volume. And, of the dozens of lengthy volumes related to International Relations sitting in my personal library, "Athena's Camp" is one the ten most important texts I own. I've filled the margins with notes; every page has pencil in it. This book generated in me what one of my professors called, "Fire in the belly." That is, something so exciting that it keeps you up all night reading, and then you talk about it to anyone who'll listen to you about it. So, students of International Relations, and anyone interested in the implications of networked information systems on the military, government, and society: GET THIS BOOK.
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Summary: IN ATHENA'S CAMP now available
Review: IN ATHENA'S CAMP is now available as of November 1, 1997. It includes a foreward by Alvin and Heidi Toffler. Here's a review by Peter Schwartz, author of "The Art of the Long View" and Chairman of the Global Busines Network: "When war happened mainly in distant places like far off deserts, war was the province of military men and a few politicians. One of the key messages of IN ATHENA'S CAMP is that the information age has transformed the landscape and conduct of conflict. Today we live on a new battlefield; we communicate with it, are entertained by it; we conduct our commerce on it; and we work on it. IN ATHENA'S CAMP is, therefore, not just for military leaders. Rather, the new realities of the network world mean that all of us need to pay attention to the meaning of security in the revolutionary landscape. The essays in this book provide a comprehensive and insightful first look at this underside of the transformation to the information-enabled network world"
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Summary: A very important book on security policy
Review: In Athena's Camp is, in my eyes, one of the most important books in the area of security policy at the given momnent, alongside 'Sources of Conflict', which has been published by Rand, too. I used the book in a term paper I wrote for political sciences, in which I examined the coming threats in context with the momentary policy of the german government (as I am German and studying here). The book was of utmost importance to me in this case, as it is, as far as I know, the only book covering this topic on such a high level of quality at the moment. Further research also revealed to me, that the momentary german policy is utmost abysmal, and that, surprisingly, the German Green Party, Bündnis 90/ Die Grünen, would maintain the best policy in case of election (just for your information). To all students of political sciences worldwide who love researching the field of global and societal change through the information revolution, get it.
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Summary: A theoretical look at the next face of conflict
Review: This book tackles international computer system threats that face nations and corporations head on. It presents a theoretical framework for action and will be a valuable resource for the next decade.Athena was also a serious topic in ancient times when she was the Greek god with a sword and shield, the one who thought up the first Trojan horse... a legacy that connects well with today's netwars. The authors of each chapter address different issues. Most are from the perspective of military issues. Many use clear historic perspectives to show how one side or the other lost conflicts, for example, the use of smart networks by Mongols to defeat Muslims and by Ho Chi Minh against Lyndon Johnson. Other examples are drawn from the gulf war; the chief of which is that the next opponent will likely not be as dumb as Saddam. Oddly there isn't much in the book about China and Russia, the cyber-bullies of today's world. Even if one did want to look up material on these countries the missing index prevents it. With a new abbreviation on every page it would also be helpful to have a Rosetta stone inside the back cover. The example of the wild west is used and very applicable here. There are only isolated pockets of law and order. Good and bad guys are hard to distinguish. Outside occasional enclaves good guys can only trust their resources and a few friends. This high level discussion can be directly translated to domains, firewalls, and virtual private networks. It argues against lowest-bidder security implementations. Computer network managers will understand diminishing role of government in the direction of commercial systems. This means less traditional compliance-driven security technology will be available. Corporate security, network administrators and infrastructure managers are out there on their own. "Street smart" information behavior will be necessary to survive. Through the book the term "cyber" is overused. It almost never appears in serious government discussions or commercial security where the emphasis is on all aspects of network issues. Security managers who want a superficial self improvement should skip this book. It is very concept-dense and filled with ideas which will cause the reader to stop and think about strategy. Few solution specifics are presented. Concepts in this book are suited for someone who is developing a strategic vision for protecting their organization from network attacks. [adapted from a review published in Security Management. All rights reserved by the author]
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Summary: A theoretical look at the next face of conflict
Review: This book tackles international computer system threats that face nations and corporations head on. It presents a theoretical framework for action and will be a valuable resource for the next decade. Athena was also a serious topic in ancient times when she was the Greek god with a sword and shield, the one who thought up the first Trojan horse... a legacy that connects well with today's netwars. The authors of each chapter address different issues. Most are from the perspective of military issues. Many use clear historic perspectives to show how one side or the other lost conflicts, for example, the use of smart networks by Mongols to defeat Muslims and by Ho Chi Minh against Lyndon Johnson. Other examples are drawn from the gulf war; the chief of which is that the next opponent will likely not be as dumb as Saddam. Oddly there isn't much in the book about China and Russia, the cyber-bullies of today's world. Even if one did want to look up material on these countries the missing index prevents it. With a new abbreviation on every page it would also be helpful to have a Rosetta stone inside the back cover. The example of the wild west is used and very applicable here. There are only isolated pockets of law and order. Good and bad guys are hard to distinguish. Outside occasional enclaves good guys can only trust their resources and a few friends. This high level discussion can be directly translated to domains, firewalls, and virtual private networks. It argues against lowest-bidder security implementations. Computer network managers will understand diminishing role of government in the direction of commercial systems. This means less traditional compliance-driven security technology will be available. Corporate security, network administrators and infrastructure managers are out there on their own. "Street smart" information behavior will be necessary to survive. Through the book the term "cyber" is overused. It almost never appears in serious government discussions or commercial security where the emphasis is on all aspects of network issues. Security managers who want a superficial self improvement should skip this book. It is very concept-dense and filled with ideas which will cause the reader to stop and think about strategy. Few solution specifics are presented. Concepts in this book are suited for someone who is developing a strategic vision for protecting their organization from network attacks. [adapted from a review published in Security Management. All rights reserved by the author]
Rating: 
Summary: Marginal
Review: This collection of sentences and catch phrases is VERY weak on technical details and VERY heavy on the diatribe. In several instances, it is down right incorrect when referencing history. This book may fit the needs of a poli. sci. type, but it is less than a dust collector when it comes to those working in the fields of IT/IW/IA. As a 2 decade professional in the field, take my recommendation and avoid this book if you are looking for anything beyond recycled political phrases related to IW.
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