The Virtual Weapon and International Order

An urgently needed examination of the current cyber revolution that draws on case studies to develop conceptual frameworks for understanding its effects on international order

The cyber revolution is the revolution of our time. The rapid expansion of cyberspace in society brings both promise and peril. It promotes new modes of political cooperation, but it also disrupts interstate dealings and empowers subversive actors who may instigate diplomatic and military crises. Despite significant experience with cyber incidents, the conceptual apparatus to analyze, understand, and address their effects on international order remains primitive. Here, Lucas Kello adapts and applies international relations theory to create new ways of thinking about cyber strategy.

Kello draws on a broad range of case studies - including the Stuxnet operation against Iran, the cyberattacks against Sony Pictures, and the disruption of the 2016 U.S. presidential election - to make sense of the contemporary technological revolution.

Synthesizing data from government documents, forensic reports of major events, and interviews with senior decision-makers, this important work establishes new theoretical benchmarks to help security experts revise strategy and policy for the unprecedented challenges of our era.

About the author

Lucas Kello is senior lecturer in international relations at Oxford University, where he also serves as director of the Centre for Technology and Global Affairs.

Product details

• Authors: Lucas Kello, Kello Lucas
• Publisher: Yale University Press Ltd
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 30.11.2018
• EAN: 9780300234497
• ISBN: 978-0-300-23449-7
• No. of pages: 336
• Subjects: Non-fiction book; Social sciences, law, business > Political science > Political science and political education; POLITICAL SCIENCE / Security (National & International), POLITICAL SCIENCE / Intelligence & Espionage, HISTORY / Modern / 21st Century, International Relations, 21st century, c 2000 to c 2100, Network Security, History and Archaeology, Political control and freedoms, Political Control & Freedoms, COMPUTERS / Internet / Online Safety & Privacy