"GLOBAL ISSUES, LEADERSHIP CHOICES":

After declining in the 1990s, the number of active civil wars has increased significantly since 2003. One of the factors being cited is the role of the internet in spurring, funding, and sustaining uprisings. (1) The internet is making it more difficult to suppress information. Citizens are more likely to find out about what's happening in their country and beyond. (2) The internet is making it easier to tap into money and fighters from around the world. This has also increased the number of rebel groups involved in any given conflict. (3) The internet provides a global audience, which means that rebel groups are increasingly likely to frame their objectives in global terms rather than as addressing local grievances. Civil wars with local political and economic roots are now cast as broadly sectarian (e.g., Sunni vs. Shia in Syria or Christian vs. Muslim in the Central African Republic). (4) The internet-enhanced spread of ideas and ideology is tied to a "contagion effect": once one civil war breaks out, it increases the risk that civil war will break out in neighboring countries. (5) Previously, support of the local population played a major role in the longevity of a civil war, which meant that rebel groups exhibited some restraint in dealing with the local civilian population. Outside funding and outside fighters attracted via the internet has meant longer conflicts with more violence towards civilians. www.washingtonpost.com/news/monkey-cage/wp/2017/06/08/the-internet-is-changing-civil-wars-here-are-five-trends-to-watch