ABSTRACT
This chapter explores the nature of this new dimension and analyse how this affects the practice of strategy within it. With these foundations in place we can begin to understand the significance the information revolution has for geopolitics. Because the information age is still relatively young, the thoughts expressed in this work are inherently speculative, and are best regarded as preliminary thoughts, albeit ones that are based upon an understanding of the strategic past. As noted above, a considerable step in appreciating the significance of the information environment and its attendant power is to understand the nature of the fifth dimension. The other forms of strategic power: sea, land, air, and space, all have their own physical environments which have unique characteristics. Parts of the infosphere are physically real in a strict sense. This applies substantially to the many physical assets which form part of the infosphere, such as satellites, cables, and computers.
