ThomasBarnett

ThoughtStorms Wiki

Author of the PentagonsNewMap. US military thinker. Though now he seems to be complaining that they aren't listening to him.

Appears like quite a smart thinker about FourthGenerationWar and GlobalGuerrillas but highly focused on his narrowly capitalist model of the world.

He sees current world situation as a conflict of "connectedness" (ie. capital connectedness) vs. "disconnectedness" (ie. any other kind of connection)

Update 2006 : there seems to be a bit more discussion of this question of GoodVsBadConnectivity due to Barnett and JohnRobb's differing thoughts :

here's latest Barnett : http://www.thomaspmbarnett.com/weblog/archives2/003276.html

comments at Robb's : http://globalguerrillas.typepad.com/johnrobb/2006/05/theglobalplat.html#comments

I guess you can see Barnett as being a connectivity optimist, Robb as being a connectivity pragmatista and WilliamLind as connectivity pessimist.

Might as well read his blog though : http://www.thomaspmbarnett.com/weblog/

A good guest opinion piece (in a wargaming magazine) outlining his world view : (War http://www.thomaspmbarnett.com/weblog/archives1/000801.html (War in a context of everything else) Discusses all down-stream effects of the US war on terror.

This whole thing raises an interesting ethical issue : JustWarsAgainstNetworks

Another very interesting piece : WarPersonalized

Jan, 2005 another interview : http://www.thomaspmbarnett.com/weblog/archives2/001411.html

New book : BarnettsBlueprint

NaomiKlein on the DisasterCapitalism (the reality of Barnett's SysAdmin)

Barnett answers FourthGenerationWar critics : - http://www.thomaspmbarnett.com/weblog/archives2/003051.html - They're too focused on military, and not enough on the business opportunities in "shrinking the gap"

Welcomes the US trade-deficit : (Comments http://www.thomaspmbarnett.com/weblog/archives2/003085.html (Comments are good)

Plans to wire-the-world with capitalism-in-a-box, ServiceOrientedArchitecture : http://www.thomaspmbarnett.com/weblog/archives2/003242.html

Contrast :

GlobalizationAndItsDiscontents