Verified Document

Cyberspace And International Relations Research Paper

Role of Cyberspace in International Relations: A Literature Review Cyberspace became a household term after it was adopted by computer professionals and popularized in the 1990s (Slater, 2002). Before that, it was used most often in science fiction movies and books. It relates to the environment in which communication occurs over and/or between computer networks. With the growth of the internet, many people began referring to cyberspace as the "place" where everything happened online (Slater, 2002). Technically, of course, cyberspace is not really a physical place. It is just the term chosen to be used by most of the general public when they discuss where something "goes" when it is sent from one computer. For example, an email that failed to reach its destination without explanation may be said to have been "lost in cyberspace." While that is not, technically, accurate, everyone who deals with computers and the internet understands the meaning and intent behind these types of phrases.

One of the main effects cyberspace has had on the world is in the field of international relations. In the past, communicating internationally took much longer than it does today. There were certainly quick ways to communicate, such as making an international call, but sending documents and other material or providing a written record of information in a conversation took a longer period of time. Faxing information internationally was not always successful, and could be extremely expensive. Once cyberspace became the way to handle most things, it was vastly easier to simply email information from one person (and country) to another (Roskin & Berry, 2009). However, the ease with which everything could be transferred internationally also became part of the risk of this kind of transfer. Email addresses can be hacked, as can anything else placed into cyberspace. That made it risky for sensitive material that really should not be sent in unprotected ways to travel through cyberspace. Even with protective measures, hackers still continued to find ways to break into coded information (Slater, 2002; Granville, 2003).

The United States Government recognizes cyberspace as part of the critical infrastructure of the country, and sees the importance of maintaining and...

There are other countries that also see the value in cyberspace, which has now become a term to mean anything that has to do with the internet. Because the network is a global one, people in one country are able to connect instantly with people all over the world. There are very few places around the globe where some form of internet is not available, although some countries have much more primitive connections than others. Additionally, some countries carefully monitor and restrict what can and cannot be viewed in a particular country (Slater, 2002). This is often to reduce the risk of violent protests, government retaliation, and other issues that can plague some countries but that do not affect others (Roskin & Berry, 2009). A country's government is able to control what can be seen in that country when it comes to the cyberspace sites that can be accessed, but there are ways to get around that for people who are determined to do so.
Proxy servers and other methods can allow people in countries where certain material is blocked to view that material (Roskin & Berry, 2009). These proxies work by providing an IP address that appears to come from another country where the information the person wants to view would not be blocked, thus allowing the person to view it. In some cases, there can be harsh penalties for using this type of service, depending on the rules and regulations of the government in question (Roskin & Berry, 2009). Many countries block information because they believe viewing it would be problematic for its citizens -- or problematic for the government itself. However, a number of people, both in those countries and outside of them, are concerned about too much government intervention and how that may provide difficulties for people who should have access to information about what it taking place in the world. At that point, the issue of human rights and human freedom comes up, but each country handles it differently (Baylis, Smith, & Owens, 2011; Roskin & Berry, 2009).

International relations have changed because of cyberspace, and there are two schools of thought on this. One school believes that the world has been made better and more open by cyberspace, and…

Sources used in this document:
References

Baylis, J., Smith, S., & Owens, P. (2011). The Globalization of World Politics: An Introduction to International Relations. NY: Oxford University Press.

Granville, J. (2003). Dot.con: The dangers of cyber crime and a call for proactive solutions. Australian Journal of Politics and History, 49(1): 102-109.

Roskin, M.G., & Berry, N.O. (2009). IR: The New World of International Relations (8th ed.). NY: Pearson.

Slater, D. (2002). Social relationships and identity online and offline. In L. Lievrouw & S. Livingston (eds), The Handbook of New Media. London: Sage.
Cite this Document:
Copy Bibliography Citation

Related Documents

International Finance the Scale of
Words: 2897 Length: 10 Document Type: Term Paper

Businesses and other establishments have now turned to fraud detection as a way to address their fraud issues. "In contrast fraud detection involves identifying fraud as quickly as possible once it has been perpetrated. In practice it must be used continuously as one does not always realize when fraud protection has failed." For instance, if credit card information has been stolen the best response is early detection so that the

Which Is the Greater Threat Domestic or International Terrorism
Words: 2282 Length: 6 Document Type: Term Paper

Threat -Domestic or International Terrorism? Terrorism was in other places and globalism was regarded trade- in the old world. But in the new world, if terrorism can occur in a place like New York, it could probably occur anywhere in the world. Post U.S. attack, the biggest change the world faced is that the definition of terrorism has been completely reversed. Of late, terrorism is mainly about attacking the West's

Cyber Espionage
Words: 4895 Length: 16 Document Type: Case Study

Abstract Cyber espionage has become a critical component of modern cyber warfare as nation-states increasingly rely on cyberspace. However, cyber espionage had generated concerns regarding its acceptability given its potential threats to national security. This qualitative case study research explores the proposition that cyber security should be deemed an acceptable state behavior while cyber attack is unacceptable. This study seeks to answer the question, “How is cyber espionage an acceptable state

Cyber Espionage
Words: 2040 Length: 7 Document Type: Research Paper

Abstract Cyber espionage has become a critical component of modern cyber warfare as nation-states increasingly rely on cyberspace. However, cyber espionage had generated concerns regarding its acceptability given its potential threats to national security. This study explores the proposition that cyber security should be deemed an acceptable state behavior while cyber attack is unacceptable. This study seeks to answer the question, “How is cyber espionage an acceptable state behavior for intelligence

Cyber Espionage
Words: 1662 Length: 6 Document Type: Research Paper

Abstract Cyber espionage has become a critical component of modern cyber warfare as nation-states increasingly rely on cyberspace. However, cyber espionage had generated concerns regarding its acceptability given its potential threats to national security. This study explores the proposition that cyber security should be deemed an acceptable state behavior while cyber attack is unacceptable. This study seeks to answer the question, “How is cyber espionage an acceptable state behavior for intelligence

Strategy for National Defense
Words: 2014 Length: 7 Document Type: Essay

Part I – Regional Security Issue within the Indo-Asia-Pacific Region The National Security Strategy (NSS) focuses on promoting the security of the United States on the premise that a safe environment is critical toward enhancing the prosperity of the nation. This strategy goes beyond promoting the interests of America and includes safeguarding the interests of partners/allies around the world. Through the strategy, the United States responds to the increasing military, political

Sign Up for Unlimited Study Help

Our semester plans gives you unlimited, unrestricted access to our entire library of resources —writing tools, guides, example essays, tutorials, class notes, and more.

Get Started Now