Month: April 2010

Buzzword ‘Cyberwar’

Cyberwar: Concept, Status Quo, and Limitations
Cyberwar: Concept, Status Quo, and Limitations (istock.com)

For all the talk about cyberwar, what does it actually mean?

In a recent policy brief, Myriam Dunn defines it as “warlike conflict in the virtual space that primarily involves information technology means.”

According to her, it’s the last rung on the ladder of cyberconflict, as measured by potential damage.

While milder forms of cyberconflict – cybervandalism, internet crime and cyberespionage – are relatively frequent, we lack established knowledge on potentially more destructive forms such as cyberterrorism and cyberwar.  This is why the debate on cyberwar is extremely prone to speculation, she warns.

You can download the paper here.

Also, you may want to check the ISN’s Digital Library for further resources on information and cyber warfare.

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ISN Weekly Theme: Sudan Looks Ahead

Sudan's long and winding path to peace, photo: WTL, flickr

With national elections just days away, a big push for peace in Darfur in recent weeks and a referendum on southern independence slated for next year, Africa’s largest country faces ample opportunities to usher in democratic reforms – or sink further into political turmoil.

This ISN Special Report contains the following content on the Sudan:

  • David Lanz of swisspeace provides an Analysis of the promises and pitfalls of national elections in this vast, challenging political landscape.
  • Julie Flint talks about why peace has remained elusive in Darfur in our Podcast interview.
  • Security Watch stories about US-Sudan relations, the ‘Bashir burden’ and his ICC indictments and much more.
  • Publications housed in our Digital Library, like recent papers from the International Crisis Group, the Atlantic Community and the US Congressional Research Service on the prospects for peace in the election’s wake.
  • Primary Resources, including the UN Secretary General’s reports to the Security Council on the Sudan.
  • Links to relevant websites, among them UNHCR’s web platform on the Sudan-Chad refugee crisis.
  • Our IR Directory with relevant organizations, like the Harvard-based World Peace Foundation, dedicated to advancing the cause of peace through study, analysis and advocacy in numerous countries, including the Sudan.
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New ISN Partner: Group for Legal and Political Studies

Logo, Group for Legal and Political Studies

The ISN is happy to announce that the Group for Legal and Political Studies (GLPS) has joined the network as a partner.

Established in 2003, GLPS  is a research institute based in Prishtina, Kosovo. It conducts academic research in the fields of political science, law and economics. The Group also aims to promote reform, democratization and development of Kosovo’s governing system.

Welcome to the ISN’s partner network, GLPS!

Peeking Behind the Curtain

Unity of purpose or crippling complexity? photo: Paul Watson/flickr

The image of a carefully crafted Chinese juggernaut, controlled and steered by the all-knowing Chinese Communist Party (CCP) has proven surprisingly resilient and enduring in public debates about China, its policies and its rise. The sheer complexity and diversity of the country and its problems are often obscured by the triumphalist (and sometimes blatantly simplistic) accounts of China and its future. Ignoring not only the complexity of the situation that China finds itself in as modernization kicks in full force, such accounts also overstate the ability of the Beijing administrators to steer a unified course.

Behind the curtains power struggles play out and are gaining rare publicity. They play out at the central level, at the provincial level and between central administrators and independent-minded local leaders. They play out between the government and the people; between globalists and fervent nationalists that exert surprising power over a government that has no electoral promises to keep. They also play out between the future leaders of the country, eager to rise up the ranks and to secure influential positions in the Politburo Standing Committee of the CCP as the old guard starts to retire.

Continue reading “Peeking Behind the Curtain”