Natnl Cyber Sec Strat Policy

3 Credits · Level: Graduate

Over the last few years, states have regularly employed their cyber capabilities against each other. These uses have covered a spectrum from espionage to the destruction of physical infrastructure. Unlike espionage, economics, or arms, however, there is little agreement about how cyber conflict does or should work. Politicians rush to fund new cyber tools but seldom understand how they will function once operational. Militaries and intelligence agencies employ emerging capabilities against their opponents but do not appear to have a clear idea about where this competition will lead. US Directors of National Intelligence and Secretaries of Defense have repeatedly warned that cyber war is one of the greatest threats to US and global security but consistently fail to provide answers about how to defend against the scenarios they describe. Everyone is worried but no one seems to understand how cyber conflict works within the larger context of international relations and national strategy. Nevertheless, like the proverbial magician’s apprentice, they continue to experiment with the new capabilities. This course examines the nature of cyber conflict. It looks at the specific ways states are attempting to use cyber capabilities as tools of policy and the strategies underlying those approaches. It seeks to explain how these emerging stratagems are beginning to work with existing tools of espionage and warfare to reshape international security. After taking this class you should have a working understanding of the dynamics of cyber conflict as instruments of foreign policy. Beyond what you learn about substantive issues, this seminar will also help you to develop methodological skills for evaluating difficult-to-access information through source triangulation, competitive hypotheses building, and related techniques.