Patrikarakos - War in 140 characters how social media is reshaping conflict in the twenty-first century

As ever when writing a book, the list of people to whom I owe thanks will be long yet almost certainly incomplete. Most immediately, I owe a huge debt of gratitude to John Jenkins and Huston Gilmore, true scholars, both of whom took time out from their own intellectual pursuits to read through the manuscript and help improve it immeasurably. Rebecca Greigone of the finest journalists I knowbrought both her time and editing skills to answer my endless questions with endless forbearance; the text is all the better for her input. Alan Ramon Ward and Bryn Harris also took the time to read sections of the book, for which I am extremely thankful.

Emile Simpson, whose work was a great inspiration for me, also took the time to read the manuscript and give me the benefit of his expert opinion, which again, proved invaluable.

Thanks must also go to my editors at Basic Books, Lara Heimert and above all Leah Stecher, who was on hand throughout the process and whose excellent advice and edits I almost universally incorporated into the book. My agent, Peter Robinson, was also always there to provide advice and support throughout. Writing a book that has taken me from Gaza to Siberia has been a difficult process, and their unfailing patience and guidance were vital to bringing this work to fruition.

I must also mention the various people who helped me on the ground, from Mohamed in Gaza to Elie in France to Andrey in Russia. Again, their assistance was vital to making this book what it is, and I am grateful.

Lucy Cockcroft was an unyielding source of support and encouragement, for which she has my eternal thanks. I am also grateful to all the staff at Caf Diplo, where I spent so many hours working on this bookguys, you are great. I must also thank Kristyna Foltynova for her quick work that, at times, saved this book by allowing me to travel to places I so desperately needed to go. Gratitude goes also to Dave McAvoy, who helped me with Arabic translation where necessary, and of course to all the experts who I interviewed and whose thinking helped inform my own.

I could never have written this book without the unfailing support of Anna Zaika, to whom I owe so much. Thank you, Anya. Thanks also to my brother, Phillip, and to my father, without whom I never would have been able to undertake all the necessary research. You saved me, guys.

I must also thank my mother and Rene for all the support and kindness they have shown me throughout my life, enabling me to do the things that make me happy.

I would like to thank the editors at Mashable, the New Statesman, Foreign Policy, the Daily Beast, and the New York Times, who have kindly allowed me to reproduce for the book excerpts from articles I have previously written for them. I thank them also for the opportunities they have given me to write for them and for helping me to improve my prose over the years.

Finally, and perhaps most of all, thanks must go to the stars of this book: the characters profiled, all of whom gave their time generously to help me tell the story of twenty-first-century warfare and social medias role at its heart.

David Patrikarakos
May 2017