War without flags

http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/12.07/view.html?pg=4?tw=wn_tophead_7

Having been a geek in the late 80's, playing paper-dice Role playing games, a favorite genra was Cyberpunk. Influenced by authors William Gibson, Greg Bear, and the article's writer Bruce Sterling; movies like Bladerunner and Running man. This was the future-dark vision of the world.

Multi-national corporations taking over and running things with private armies of soldiers. Governments acting as little more than shells for the corporations, and technology becoming the new magic.

In somethings the writers got it right. Cyberspace was coined by Gibson. We don't have data-plugs in our bodies yet, but we can carry around gigabytes of information easily. Monofilament isn't available around the corner, but everyone can connect onto the net.

One of the off shoot themes in most of the Cyberpunk genre was the middle east being turned to glass. Or at least, being used as a battle ground where armies could fight, without disturbing too many civilians. After all, civilians were the source of profit, and no multinational would want to sacrifice profits.

Are we racing down to an era of money again? Company men, no longer being a wink at the CIA. We probably are.

As long as there is a profit involved, people will be around.