Cyberspace is everywhere in today's world and has significant implications not only for global economic activity, but also for international politics and transnational social relations. Jan-Frederik Kremer (Center for Global Studies, Bonn University and Friedrich-Naumann-Foundation for Freedom) and Benedikt Müller (Accenture) have compiled the book Cyberspace and International Relations, which addresses the "cyberization" of international relations (IR) for the first time. The book details how the actors in IR have increasingly come to depend on the infrastructure and instruments of the internet, as well as the penetration of cyberspace into all fields of their activities.
The recent developments in intelligence operations like Prism and Tempora, conducted by the US National Security Agency and the UK Government Communications Headquarters, give this topic and this new book even more relevance. Intelligence and warfare operations are increasingly shifting to the realm of cyberspace, and Cyberspace and International Relations clearly and thoroughly details these developments.
The volume approaches this topical issue in a comprehensive and interdisciplinary fashion, bringing together scholars from disciplines such as IR, security studies, ICT studies and philosophy, as well as experts from everyday cyber-practice. In the first part, concepts and theories are presented to shed light on the relationship between cyberspace and international relations, discussing implications for the discipline and presenting fresh and innovative theoretical approaches. Contributions in the second part focus on specific empirical fields of activity (security, economy, diplomacy, cultural activity, transnational communication, critical infrastructure, cyber espionage, social media and more) and address emerging challenges and prospects for international politics and relations.
Chapters like Ryan David Kiggin's discussion of US Leadership in Cyberspace, or Oliver Read's analysis of the US Government's Threat Perception of Economic Cyber Espionage, address motives and strategies of states' cyberspace activities with special emphasis on the role of the United States. In doing so, they offer approaches to comprehend the current developments and how states are affected, leading them to react with covert and overt operations.
Beyond states, cyberspace challenges like the ones brought to light by the NSA files published by Edward Snowden, affect a whole range of stakeholders like individuals, groups, organizations and enterprises, which is illustrated in Jan-Frederik Kremer and Benedikt Müller's Framework to Understand Emerging Challenges to States in an Interconnected World. The framework helps to understand potential constellations of stakeholders, actions and motives and specifically outlines implications for governments.
Overall, this book contains fourteen contributions by scholars, experts and practitioners from around the world, shedding light on the impact of cyberspace on International Relations, from theoretical considerations to practical implications, from warfare to governance theories, and from IR perspectives to philosophical approaches.
Kremer, Jan-Frederik; Müller, Benedikt (Eds.)
Cyberspace and International Relations - Theory, Prospects and Challenges
2014, XXV, 430 p. 2 illus; Hardcover, € 139,09; £ 117; $ 179,00
ISBN 978-3-642-37480-7; also available as an eBook