The Meaning of the Cyber Revolution

The article makes three main arguments.  First, integrating cyber realities into the international security studies agenda is necessary both for developing effective policies and for enhancing the field’s intellectual progress. Second, the scientific intricacies of cyber technology and methodological issues do not prohibit scholarly investigation; a nascent realm of cyber studies has already begun to emerge. Third, because cyberweapons are not overtly violent, their use is unlikely to ªt the traditional criterion of interstate war; rather, the new capability is expanding the range of possible harm and outcomes between the concepts of war and peace—with important consequences for national and international security. Although the cyber revolution has not fundamentally altered the nature of war, it nevertheless has consequences for important issues in the field of security studies, including nonmilitary foreign threats and the ability of nontraditional players to inflict economic and social harm. Three factors underscore the cyber danger for international security: the potency of cyberweapons, complications relating to cyber defense, and problems of strategic instability. The article has three sections. First, it reviews the sources and costs of scholarly inattention toward the cyber issue and argues why this must change. Second, it presents a selection of common technical concepts to frame the issue from the perspective of security scholars. Third, it assesses the potential consequences of cyberweapons for international security. The article concludes by outlining a research agenda for future cyber studies.