From Global Village to Virtual Battlespace: The Colonizing of the Internet and the Extension of Realpolitik

Abstract

From the earliest years of the Internet's creation, cyberspace has been distinguished from other types of political space because of three unique qualities: (i) its ability to mobilize users, particularly ''outsiders'' including those who have not been easily included in political systems using conventional means; (ii) its ability to quickly provide large quantities of information of uncertain or unregulated quality; and (iii) its ability to shrink distances between users, in some sense rendering conventional physical geography irrelevant. This paper presents three lenses for interpreting the significance of these developments: utopian, liberal, and realist. Evolving doctrines of cyberwarfare as put forth by China, Russia, and the United States in particular stress the ways in which cyberspace presents a unique security threat which may present greater advantages to nonstate actors engaged in unconventional warfare. Differing economic, political, and security policies derive from each lens.

When virtual reality meets realpolitik: Social media shaping the Arab government–citizen relationship

“…However, "the platforms were not designed to cater to activist users" (Youmans & York, 2012, p. 317): On one hand, governance of social media is driven by commercial considerations, and the platforms' rules and architectures may constrain political engagement (Youmans & York, 2012, p. 317). On the other hand, no cyberspace has remained simply an exterritorial "global village" for freedom seekers, but the internet has always been subject to the extension of realpolitik, 1 namely an extension of the battlespace and an extension of the marketplace (Manjikian, 2010). Both aspects have a significant impact on the practice of using Arab social media.…”

A Model for the Impact of Cybersecurity Infrastructure on Economic Development in Emerging Economies: Evaluating the Contrasting Cases of India and Pakistan

“…Studies that explore forms of "cyber citizenship" have shown that the Internet is used for nation-building and reinforces national identity (Manjikian, 2010). A nation with an active cybercitizenship encourages the general population of citizens to take greater responsibility to ensure cybersecurity (Harknett & Stever, 2009).…”

“…Developed and developing countries alike have harnessed the power of ICT to spur economic development via e-commerce, and cyberspace has joined land, sea, air, and space as a potential arena for warfare and international conflict (Gorman & Barnes, 2011;Manjikian, 2010). The possibilities and risks inherent in the dissemination of ICT necessitate implementation of cybersecurity initiatives (Brechbühl, Bruce, Dynes, & Johnson, 2010).…”

Gramsci online? Um estudo preliminar sobre a aplicabilidade das categorias gramscianas ao ciberespaço

“…Visto que muitas das concepções da disciplina foram cunhadas dentro de um parâmetro realista, durante o século XX, que via no "sistema internacional" o Estado enquanto seu ator principal, separando a "política nacional" da "política internacional", tais concepções n~o se coadunam com a realidade do ciberespaço (Choucri e Goldsmith, 2012;Choucri, 2012;Manjikian, 2010) marcado por questões, para citar apenas alguns exemplos, como a multiplicidade de atores e suas influências numa dinâmica de difusão do poder (Nye Jr, 2010; delimitações territoriais fluídas que implicam numa movimentação também fluída da informação (Fernandes, 2012;Martins, 2012); interpenetração de sistemas de controle de operação civis e militares (Greathouse, 2014); e o problema da anonimidade que resulta em dificuldades de atribuição em contextos de ataques cibernéticos (Chawki, 2006;Shaheen, 2014;Kiggins, 2014).…”