"Blockchain Empowers Social Resistance and Terrorism Through Decentrali" by Armin Krishnan Home Search Browse Collections My Account About Digital Commons Network™ Skip to main content My Account FAQ About This IR Scholar Commons     Home > USF Libraries > Open Access Journals > JSS > Vol. 13 > No. 1 (2020)   Article Title Blockchain Empowers Social Resistance and Terrorism Through Decentralized Autonomous Organizations Authors Armin Krishnan, East Carolina UniversityFollow Author Biography Armin Krishnan, PhD is an Associate Professor and Director of Security Studies at East Carolina University. He is the author of five books on new developments in warfare and conflict, including Killer Robots: The Legality and Ethicality of Autonomous Weapons published by Ashgate and Military Neuroscience and the Coming Age of Neurowarfare published by Routledge. His most recent book is Why Paramilitary Operations Fail published by Palgrave Macmillan. Dr. Krishnan has earned his doctorate from University of Salford, UK and he holds other graduate degrees in Political Science and International Relations from the University of Munich and the University of Salford. He has previously taught Intelligence Studies as a Visiting Assistant Professor at the University of Texas at El Paso. DOI https://doi.org/10.5038/1944-0472.13.1.1743 Subject Area Keywords Cybersecurity, Nonstate actors, Security studies, Social media Abstract The invention of the Internet has changed the way social resistance, revolutionary movements and terror groups are organized with new features such as loose network organization, netwars, social media campaigns, and lone wolf attacks. This article argues that blockchain technology will lead to more far-reaching changes in the organization of resistance to authority. Blockchain is a distributed ledger that records transactions using a consensus protocol, and when it meets objective conditions, it also enables smart contracts that execute transactions. Blockchain technology is not only a system for transferring value, but also it is a trustless system in which strangers can cooperate without the need for having to trust each other, as computer code governs their interactions. Blockchain will not only allow resistance/ terror organizations to easily receive donations globally, to have assets that a government can easily confiscate, and to disseminate censorship-resistant propaganda, but more importantly, to operate and cooperate across the world in a truly leaderless, coordinated, and highly decentralized fashion. Governments will need to be more proactive in the area of blockchain technology to mitigate some of the dangers to political stability that may emerge from it. Acknowledgements I want to thank the anonymous reviewers of the article for their encouragement, insights, and constructive criticism that has helped to improve the quality of the article. Recommended Citation Krishnan, Armin. "Blockchain Empowers Social Resistance and Terrorism Through Decentralized Autonomous Organizations." Journal of Strategic Security 13, no. 1 (2020) : 41-58. DOI: https://doi.org/10.5038/1944-0472.13.1.1743 Available at: https://scholarcommons.usf.edu/jss/vol13/iss1/3 View as PDF DOWNLOADS Since March 12, 2020 Share COinS       Journal Home Abstracting & Indexing Aims & Scope Associates Call For Papers Editorial Board Instructions for Reviewers Policies for the Journal of Strategic Security Publication Ethics Submit Manuscript Submission Requirements Most Popular Papers Receive Email Notices or RSS Special Issues: Vol. 13, No. 4 Climate Change and Global Security Volume 9, No. 4, Special Issue Winter 2016: Understanding and Resolving Complex Strategic Security Issues Volume 9, No. 1, Special Issue Spring 2016: Designing Danger: Complex Engineering by Violent Non-State Actors Select an issue: All Issues Vol. 14, No. 1 Vol. 13, No. 4 Climate Change and Global Security Vol. 13, No. 3 Vol. 13, No. 2 Vol. 13, No. 1 Vol. 12, No. 4 Vol. 12, No. 3 Vol. 12, No. 2 Vol. 12, No. 1 Vol. 11, No. 4 Vol. 11, No. 3 Vol. 11, No. 2 Vol. 11, No. 1 Vol. 10, No. 4 Vol. 10, No. 3 Vol. 10, No. 2 Vol. 10, No. 1 Volume 9, No. 4, Special Issue Winter 2016: Understanding and Resolving Complex Strategic Security Issues Vol. 9, No. 3 Vol. 9, No. 2 Volume 9, No. 1, Special Issue Spring 2016: Designing Danger: Complex Engineering by Violent Non-State Actors Volume 8, No. 3, Fall 2015 Supplement: Eleventh Annual IAFIE Conference Vol. 8, No. 4 Volume 8, No. 3, Special Issue Fall 2015: Intelligence: Analysis, Tradecraft, Training, Education, and Practical Application Vol. 8, No. 1 Volume 7, No. 4, Special Issue Winter 2014: Future Challenges in Drone Geopolitics Vol. 7, No. 3 Volume 7, No. 2, Special Issue Summer 2014: The Global SOF Network Vol. 7, No. 1 Volume 6, No. 3, Fall 2013 Supplement: Ninth Annual IAFIE Conference: Expanding the Frontiers of Intelligence Education Vol. 6, No. 4 Vol. 6, No. 3 Vol. 6, No. 2 Vol. 6, No. 1 Vol. 5, No. 4 Volume 5, No. 3, Fall 2012: Energy Security Vol. 5, No. 2 Vol. 5, No. 1 Volume 4, No. 4, Winter 2011: Perspectives on Radicalization and Involvement in Terrorism Vol. 4, No. 3 Volume 4, No. 2, Summer 2011: Strategic Security in the Cyber Age Vol. 4, No. 1 Vol. 3, No. 4 Vol. 3, No. 3 Vol. 3, No. 2 Vol. 3, No. 1 Vol. 2, No. 4 Vol. 2, No. 3 Vol. 2, No. 2 Vol. 2, No. 1 Vol. 1, No. 1   Search Enter search terms: Select context to search: in this journal in this repository across all repositories Advanced Search ISSN: 1944-0464 (Print)ISSN: 1944-0472 (Online)   Hosted By:   Digital Commons Scholar Commons | About This IR | FAQ | My Account | Accessibility Statement Privacy Copyright