Essential reading on how technology empowers rogue actors and how society can adapt. Never have so many possessed the means to be so lethal. A dramatic shift from 20th century "closed" military innovation to "open" innovation driven by commercial processes is underway. The diffusion of modern technology--robotics, cyber weapons, 3-D printing, synthetic biology, autonomous systems, and artificial intelligence--to ordinary people has given them access to weapons of mass violence previously monopolized by the state. As Audrey Kurth Cronin explains in Power to the People, what we are seeing now is the continuation of an age-old trend. Over the centuries, from the invention of dynamite to the release of the AK-47, many of the most surprising developments in warfare have occurred because of technological advances combined with changes in who can use them. That shifting social context illuminates our current situation, in which new "open" technologies are reshaping the future of war. Cronin explains why certain lethal technologies spread, which ones to focus on, and how individuals and private groups will adapt lethal off-the-shelf technologies for malevolent ends. Now in paperback with a foreword by Lawrence Freedman and a new epilogue, Power to the People focuses on how to both preserve the promise of emerging technologies and reduce risks. Power is flowing to the people, but the same digital technologies that empower can imperil global security--unless we act strategically.

About the Author
Audrey Kurth Cronin is one of the world's leading experts on security and terrorism, with high-level experience in public service and academia. She is currently Distinguished Professor of International Security and founding Director of the Center for Security, Innovation and New Technology at American University.

Reviews
A Foreign Affairs Best Book of 2019
Rather than broadly faulting emergent lethal technologies, [Cronin] makes a very focused and compelling case for attending to the threats posed by open-source 'off-the-shelf' technologies that are affordable and easily operated, and are easily weaponized (3D-printed guns and the arming of inexpensive hobby drones are two relevant examples)... Cronin invites readers to consider specific case studies in which similar emergence, diffusion, and affordability of lethal technology fomented and enabled unanticipated terrorist activity. * Science *
Power to the People is an extraordinary achievement due to impeccable research and the author's exceptional wisdom. It must be read widely to help generate common understanding of the dangers we face and the actions we must take to maximize the promise of emerging technologies while protecting our citizens and safeguarding our societies." - H.R. McMaster, former United States National Security Advisor and author of Dereliction of Duty: Johnson, McNamara, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the Lies that Led to Vietnam
From dynamite to drones, Audrey Kurth Cronin provides a much-needed reassessment of how non-state actors adopt technology for violence. Weaving together technology, history, sociology, and organizational theory, Power to the People is a must-read for those looking to understand the democratization of destruction and how to respond." - Paul Scharre, Senior Fellow and Director of the Technology and National Security Program at the Center for a New American Security and author of Army of None: Autonomous Weapons and the Future of War
Power to the People is a must-read for those seeking to understand how new technologies and innovation can change society, the nature of conflict, and our world. With compelling historical research and incisive analysis, Audrey Kurth Cronin gives us invaluable insights into how new technologies are transforming the security landscape and pragmatic recommendations on what we need to do in response." - Michele Flournoy, CEO, WestExec Advisors and former United States Under Secretary of Defense for Policy
In this meticulously researched book, Cronin shows how groups such as the Islamic State (or isis) exploit new technologies such as the Internet, smartphones, autonomous vehicles, and artificial intelligence. Cronin hardly wants innovation to stop just because of potentially malign applications. Instead, she argues that governments must develop countermeasures to preempt militants from co-opting innovations to catastrophic effect." - Foreign Affairs
[Power to the People] belongs on every national security professional's shelf." - War on the Rocks
Winner of the 2020 Neave Prize
"...Power to the People is a brilliantly conceived and executed book.... Kudos to Cronin." - H-Diplo



Book Information
ISBN 9780197578933
Author Audrey Kurth Cronin
Format Paperback
Page Count 448
Imprint Oxford University Press Inc
Publisher Oxford University Press Inc
Weight(grams) 1g
Dimensions(mm) 154mm * 236mm * 26mm