Baseline Review

Résumé du livre

Over the past five years, states have become increasingly engaged in a series of regional and international policy discussions and debates over cyber security. This engagement stems from a growing sense of insecurity regarding vulnerabilities in computer systems and related technologies, and how they can be exploited for malicious purposes. Vulnerabilities and threats in this environment have been recorded since the 1980s and both state and non-state actors have found innovative ways and means to respond to them. Yet, it was only in the past five to seven years that threats and vulnerabilities were elevated to the seat of high politics and strategy, and placed squarely (oftentimes with exaggerated passion) on national, regional and international security agendas. The report is structured around the following three areas: International and regional security (the predominant focus); Transnational crime and terrorism; and Governance, human rights and development. These areas are obviously interdependent, with developments in one area often impacting another, yet they have traditionally been approached separately through distinct communities of practice and fora. This has been the case over the past fifteen years; yet more recent developments demonstrate that these policy areas are converging, thus constituting an opportunity for wider ranging agreements on the one hand, and greater risk of misunderstanding and tension on the other. The report will serve as a baseline for future annual reports with this specific one covering the period spanning January 2011 to December 2013 (while also providing background on earlier events). It also highlights some of the core policy events and processes to watch out for in 2014.