It's not a new story. Easily produced weapons of mass destruction, toxins, microbes, compact high explosives and detonators, cheap and instantaneous global communications and transport, it is becoming easier and easier for small, lightly organized groups and even individual fanatics to wage war on great states. Cheap, mass-produced military firearms like the AK-47 have democratized war. Even pimply-faced teenagers can wage cyberwar on great corporations and nations.

The same technology that we have celebrated as making it possible to distribute freedom through decentralization and accessibility, is now available to spread chaos. Even benign machines like airliners can be converted to deadly missiles of destruction. If people are willing to die, they can ensure that many others will follow them to horrible death.

Even the ultimate weapon, the fission bomb, is not beyond the capability of the lone fanatic. Heat-seeking missiles are the least of our problems, we have computer viruses capable of inflicting more damage than that.

And I can't see any way out of this. Its our old friend, Unintended Consequences...she was always lurking in Pandora's Box.