JOURNAL: The effectiveness of systems disruption in Pakistan

Fareed Farooqui reports from Pakistan on the effects of a minor electricity outage (unintentionally caused by construction activity and exacerbated by load shedding due to insufficient production of power) in Karachi. Here are some examples:

• Vicious rioting broke out Wednesday evening in several parts of Karachi and continued into the night in protest against long spells of power outages.
• Residents of the affected areas came out on to the streets and burnt tires and other materials. In some areas, the protesters broke traffic lights and damaged fast food restaurants by pelting them with stones. The police resorted to shelling and aerial firing to disperse the crowds.
• Riots also took place in various areas of Lyari Town including Aath Chowk and Shah Baig Lane. Protesters besieged a KESC complaint centre near Aath Chowk, and tried to set it on fire, but the police reached there on time.

Pakistani guerrillas haven't yet (fortunately) adopted systems disruption against Pakistan's crowded cities (Baloch guerrillas have focused on the disruption of regional natural gas deliveries). However, given the example above, it appears that Pakistan's legitimacy is so weak (particularly given recent events) that if they did adopt systems disruption, the returns on investment would be exceptional.

Comments

[Duncan Kinder]

Electric utilities are beginning to develop massive storage batteries to mitigate power disruptions:
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/products/environment/2007-07-04-sodium-battery_N.htm

[DHM]

While we're on the subject of systems disruption and energy, did you see:

http://arstechnica.com/news.ars/post/20070708-malware-report-reveals-targetted-attacks-on-energy-sector-execs.html

[Russell120]

Duncan:

Given that utilities are involved, I am surprised that they did not mention ice storage cooling systems. These systems make big huge blocks of ice during off peak times in the summer, and then use the melting ice during the day as the coolant for the central ac system. A couple of schools use it in my area, and I have been told that it works well.

The storage batteries they discuss will not mitigate power disruptions any more then the blocks of ice will. What they are is very good strategies to reduce the "peak" load on the system so that you don't have to build as much of a power generating system.

[Duncan Kinder]

I was sort of batting about an idea in which I used the Viking assault upon the Carolingian Empire as a model for the current Global Guerrilla assault upon the Western society.

Basically that mayhem went on until the Normans ( who were descended from the Vikings, BTW ) developed the mote and bailey castle. Thereby they were able to store up enough inventories of grain to withstand the occassional pillage and maintain order. ( The word "lord" literally means "he who has secured the grain." )

I am, of course, oversimplifying medieval history, but there nevertheless there is enough substance for me to form a concept. And that is my point - more than being too rigorous about medieval history right now.

In particular, I used this concept to generalize, to speculate that it might be possible to secure necessities of life, such as electricity, much as the castles did during the Viking era. These batteries and similar storage depots might constitute refuges from the Global Guerilla onslaught, much as the old castles once were refuges from the Vikings.

[Jared Nuzzolillo]

Thank you so much for continuing to post, John. The information you share is invaluable for trying to grasp the efficacy of insurgencies.

Best,
Jared Nuzzolillo

[John Robb]

Duncan, you got it. The choice may be between soft (connected) or hard (disconnected) feudalization.

My pleasure Jared.

[sigfpe]

Unless the ITER test reactor works (recent coverage here: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2006/11/21/iter_deal/ ) it's going to be hard feudalism all over again. Assuming we still have any topsoil, and clement enough weather to grow anything.

[Duncan Kinder]

John, I'm not sure what you mean by "soft feudalism," but the Scottish clans come to my mind.