Thomas Barnett frequently uses IT terminology to discuss geopolitics, one of the things I love about him. In a recent post he says:

As I said in PNM, the whole goal of enunciating a strategic vision like this, is that you generate reproducible strategic concepts, meaning key ideas that are replicable in mind after mind, once they begin to spread. I think the SysAdmin and the connectivity concepts qualify in this regard, when you can see someone like Ignatius view something like the current tragedy in Asia and relate it back to the book.

From Thomas P.M. Barnett :: Weblog: David Ignatius on Diane Rehm's show today
Referenced Tue Jan 04 2005 08:45:03 GMT-0700

These are called "mind viruses" Tom. Read Neal Stephenson's Snow Crash and it will all become clear--or maybe not.