This Week at ISN

22 - 26 October 2012 Linking cyber-security with national security is a relatively new phenomenon. This week we analyze the increasing securitization of cyberspace and ask a fundamental question has the era of cyber warfare finally arrived or does the concept remain more fantasy than reality?

Safeguarding Cyber-Security, Fighting in Cyberspace

The Militarization of Cyber Security as a Source of Global Tension
22 Oct 2012

Cyber-security has become a strategic issue. But while offensive cyber-operations are becoming a significant component of modern conflicts, Myriam Dunn Cavelty argues that the role of the military in cyber-security will be limited and still needs to be carefully defined. More A Stuxnet Future? Yes, Offensive Cyber-Warfare Is Already Here
23 Oct 2012

According to Mihoko Matsubara, the Stuxnet attack on Irans nuclear facilities demonstrates that actors have the capacity to use cyber-capabilities to fragment command and control structures, disrupt critical infrastructures, and undermine other components of national security. More A Stuxnet Future? Nonsense, Cyber-War Is an Overblown Non-Threat
24 Oct 2012

Cyber-attacks against a nation-state's critical infrastructures are now widely regarded as acts of war. Bruce Schneier and Thomas Rid disagree. They contend that cyber-conflict is an over-hyped notion that does not warrant being perceived as a form of war. More Cyber Information Assurance and Critical Infrastructure Protection
25 Oct 2012

Governments are pursuing public-private partnerships both to ensure continuity of services and to protect critical infrastructure from cyber-attacks. In this podcast, we look at the current status of such partnerships as well as the challenges they face in safeguarding cyber-security. More The Challenge of Protecting Critical Infrastructure Against Cyber Attacks
26 Oct 2012

Cyber-attacks on critical infrastructure represent a threat to both governments and the private sector. Since small countries such as Switzerland are especially vulnerable, argue Daniel Stauffacher and Barbara Weekes, international mechanisms to deal with these cyber-threats are necessary. More

Security Watch
Factors Responsible for Al-Shabab's Losses in Somalia
22 Oct 2012

The African Union Missions advance across Somalia transformed al-Shabab from a powerful militant group to a weakened band of insurgents. Alexander Meleagrou-Hitchens and Hussein Solomon also attribute the decline of al-Shabab to clan rivalries and poor handling of the drought in 2011. More Chinese Strategic Miscalculations in the South China Sea
23 Oct 2012

How China handles its territorial disputes in the South China Sea, writes Hoang Anh Tuan, will determine

whether it will ascend to superpower status or not. Its handling of sovereignty disputes with some of its neighbors, however, has already weakened its standing in the Far East and beyond. More Increasing Significance of the Northwestern Persian Gulf
24 Oct 2012

The rivalry between Saudi Arabia and Iran in the north-west region of the Persian Gulf has been muted recently by the political unrest in Syria. According to Stratfor, however, Tehran's declining influence within Syria and growing tensions between Iraq and Kuwait may lead to renewed conflict in the area. More Five Common Misunderstandings of War and Peace in Colombia
25 Oct 2012

Current talks between the Colombian government and the FARC have a better chance of bringing peace to the country than past negotiations, writes Christian Voelkel. However, several misconceptions about the conflict for example, that the FARC are just a criminal rather than political group may derail the negotiations. More Deterring Theory A Doable Reality or a Hopeless Cause?
26 Oct 2012

Can the tenets of deterrence theory be applied to counterterrorism? This is the question that Andreas Wenger, Alex Wilner and others attempt to answer in Deterring Terrorism Theory and Practice, which represents a first-cut attempt to apply deterrence theory systematically to the terrorist phenomenon. More

ISN Blog
A Maligned Law to Protect the Philippines from Cybercrime
22 Oct 2012

The Philippines new cybercrime legislation has received widespread criticism, most notably from internet users and media channels. However, our partners at Global Voices reveal that the law also has the support of some powerful sectors of society, particularly private industry. More How Attacks on Energy Infrastructure Affect Colombia's Citizens
23 Oct 2012

Terrorist attacks on Colombias energy infrastructure have had a profound impact on the lives of many Colombians. Our partners at Global Voices outline some of the problems facing ordinary Colombians as they attempt to cope with this particular type of terrorism and its side-effects. More New Realities of the India-Russia Defense Partnership
24 Oct 2012

India has traditionally enjoyed warm defense relations with Russia. However, as Aparna Ray notes, New Delhis recent tilt towards Washington has prompted Moscow to enhance its defense and diplomatic ties with other South Asian countries, most notably Pakistan. More Mercenaries from Mali to Foment Unrest in Cte d'Ivoire?
25 Oct 2012

A recent UN report claims that Cte d'Ivoires political opposition is recruiting Islamists from Mali to destabilize the Ouattara government. Upon further investigation, however, Global Voices Julie Owono reveals that both the provenance and accuracy of the report are being contested. More Afghanistan Post-2014: Will the Dark Days Return?
26 Oct 2012

With two years to go until NATO troops leave Afghanistan, our partners at Global Voices reveal how some of the countrys netizens feel about the eventual withdrawal. While many are terrified at the prospect of the return of the Taliban, others are first looking forward to the end of the NATO mission. More

Videos
Rebels Attack Syrian Military Headquarters Stratfor Middle East analyst Ashley Lindsey discusses the recent attack on Syria's military headquarters and explains the rebels' strategy of keeping the regime's attention on Damascus. More

Cyber Security and the Private Sector AT&T's Chief Security Officer, Edward Amoroso, discusses the recent spate of cyber attacks and how governments and the private sector can help protect infrastructure and prevent future attacks with Adam Segal, Senior Fellow for Counterterrorism and National Security Studies at the Council on Foreign Relations. More Who Are the Real Cyber-Warriors? John Nagl of the Center for a New American Security (CNAS) and Mark Thompson discuss the challenge of cyber-warfare with James Lewis, a cyber-warfare expert at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, and Kristin Lord, who oversaw a CNAS examination into the issue. More

Additional Content
The New State of South Sudan and the Challenges of Secession
26 Oct 2012

South Sudan's recent independence from Sudan has been complicated by disputes over access to natural resources and shared borders. As part of our Interactive Community Roundtable series, Salman MA Salman discussed in detail some of the problems facing Africa's newest state. More

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