The image of unanimity: the utility of the promotion and disparagement of cultural and social unaimity as a form of context manipulation in information warfare in the aftermath of the attacks to September 11, 2001

摘要

In this paper we examine the use of context manipulation as an offensive information warfare strategy with particular reference to the specific strategies related to assertions of cultural unity or disunity in the aftermath of the September 11,2001 terrorist attacks in New York City. The competing rhetoric of the Bush administration and Osama bin Laden 's organisation is studied. Success criteria are proposed for context manipulation through assertions of unity and disunity. Examples of successful and failed attempts to manipulate information context are studied to verify the proposed criteria.