As governments become more equipped with intelligence and technology, future wars may take place on a keyboard instead of a battlefield. In his novel Ghost Fleet, Peter Singer, senior fellow at the New America Foundation in Washington, DC melds fact and fiction in addressing the future potential of cyber war. He recently addressed the topic as a guest of the World Affairs Council of Pittsburgh.
In order to preserve authenticity, Singer and his team went out and talked with people who could potentially be in these roles if a cyber war were to ensue---anyone from Navy ship captains to anonymous hackers. Approximately four hundred end notes in the novel refer back to his extensive research.
Though Singer has published numerous non-fiction works, he found creating fiction, "both liberating and challenging.”
While Ghost Fleet is a work of fiction, the novel has had a real world impact. It's combination of information and entertainment allows readers to be briefed on the subject of cyber warfare.
“Four star generals are more likely to read it and learn from it because it is a novel," says Singer.
By dabbling into the "useful fiction" genre, Singer hopes he has shown readers it is possible to play into fiction and non-fiction, writing for both entertainment and education.
