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The Syrian data glut: Rethinking the role of information in conflict
| Content Provider | Semantic Scholar |
|---|---|
| Author | Powers, Shawn O'Loughlin, Ben |
| Copyright Year | 2015 |
| Abstract | Central to the longevity of the free flow of information doctrine is the idea that greater access to information will facilitate improved international cooperation, decreasing the likelihood of conflict in the international system.1 This commentary2 challenges the pervasive narrative of ‘information as peace inducing’. Political actors are employing big data tools to better understand conflicts, but not necessarily to end them. Building on an historical record of ways in which information freedom is selectively used to justify geostrategic policy, we explore the relationship between information and conflict through the lens of the Syrian civil war, ‘the most well documented conflict in history’ (Balian, 2014). Since 2011, the Syrian conflict has been mapped by various international actors, including governments and NGOs, facilitating real-time tracking of violence, opposition and government forces, as well as foreign fighters and weaponry. Yet, despite this avalanche of data, the Syrian conflict continues today, leaving nearly half of the Syrian population displaced and more than 200,000 dead. Specifically, we argue that the conditions required for information to reduce the likelihood for violence are at fundamental odds with the conditions of war. Thus, while greater access to accurate information can, theoretically, reduce the likelihood of conflict breaking out, adding an abundance of data |
| Starting Page | 172 |
| Ending Page | 180 |
| Page Count | 9 |
| File Format | PDF HTM / HTML |
| DOI | 10.1177/1750635215584286 |
| Volume Number | 8 |
| Alternate Webpage(s) | http://static1.1.sqspcdn.com/static/f/127762/26240523/1432021001217/PowersOLoughlin_2015_TheSyrianDataGlut_MWC.pdf?token=uF96k73Tugkr8n41tkNi1MFkSKE%3D |
| Alternate Webpage(s) | https://doi.org/10.1177/1750635215584286 |
| Language | English |
| Access Restriction | Open |
| Content Type | Text |
| Resource Type | Article |
