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The Anti-War/Peace Movement in Britain and the Conditions of Information War

University of Leicester

Frank Webster

City University, London

Using the concept of Information War we explore the conditions and mediation of contemporary war. Examples from British anti-war and peace movements are then employed to better understand the importance of ‘symbolic struggles’, focusing on the importance of the internet in recent opposition to wars. These examples signify a shift away from the era where the mediation of war could be closely controlled towards one where the influences of journalists and public opinion are more ambiguous and uncertain. While there is little doubt that those who wage war remain powerful and superior, their need to seek legitimacy amongst their publics, together with the use of new media, provide an environment through which voices of dissent can more easily be amplified.

Key Words: anti-war movement • information technology • Information War • internet • network technologies • protest • symbolic struggle

International Relations, Vol. 20, No. 4, 407-423 (2006)
DOI: 10.1177/0047117806069402


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