Analyzing Cyberspace in International Relations: Cyber War, Governance & Revolutions? - Einzelansicht

“We worried for decades about WMDs – Weapons of Mass Destruction. Now it is time to worry about a new kind of WMDs – Weapons of Mass Disruption.” — John Mariotti

IR-Research has a new buzzword - Cyberwar is the next big thing after the so called "new wars". In 2011 the Obama administration adopted a strategy for Cyberspace followed by the German military which reached "Anfangsbefähigung für Attacken in gegnerischen Netzen (a prime example of bureaucratic speech). Since then academia, politics and media are talking about Cyberwar. 

However, there is still confusion going on about the possibilities, risks and dangers emerging from the new information technology called the Internet. The Internet is still "Neuland" for most of the policymakers and citizens alike. We hear talk about "weapons of mass disruption" or "digital Pearl Harbor". Digital disaster seems to lure everywhere and threat politics flourish. It is time to analyze this topic and decipher the debates about Cyberwar.

Therefore the aim of this seminar is threefold: first, we are going to look at the very core concepts: What is Cyberwar? Is it actually war? How does it differ from other conflicts?  Where did it come from?

Secondly we are trying to analyze the phenomenon of Cyberwar with the grand theories of International Relations, Neo-Realism, Neo-Liberal-Institutionalism, Constructivism and Security Studies in general. Can our theories describe the phenomenon? Do we have to adapt our frameworks? 

Finally we are looking into specific cases. What are national motivations for Cyberwar? How do national strategies look like? We will also talk about the Stuxnet incident and will dig into a broad range of actors, from the United States of America, to China and Russia and even the "swarm-intelligence" of hacktivism.

Arquilla & Ronfeldt (2001). Networks and Netwars: The Future of Terror, Crime, and Militancy (1 ed.). Rand Corporation.

Carr, J. (2009). Inside Cyber Warfare: Mapping the Cyber Underworld (1 ed.). O’Reilly Media.

Eriksson, J., & Giacomello, G. (2007). International Relations and Security in the Digital Age (1 ed.). Routledge.

Gaycken, S. (2010). Cyberwar: Das Internet als Kriegsschauplatz (1 ed.). Open Source Press.

Krell, G. (2004). Weltbilder und Weltordnung. Einführung in die Theorie der Internationalen Beziehungen (3 ed.). Nomos.

Hansel, M. (2013). Internationale Beziehungen im Cyberspace: Macht, Institutionen und Wahrnehmung (Globale Gesellschaft und internationale Beziehungen) (German Edition) (2013 ed.). Springer VS.

The seminar language is English but some of the reading is in German. Written assignments should be in English, but it is not mandatory and the language will not influence the grade. However, it is a great chance to improve your language skills in this course.

Since this seminar deals with Cyberspace,  we embrace it and work with the e-learning platform Metacoon. It is mandatory, especially for foreign students, that you register there. There you can find the course reading, forums and general announcements

You should be able and willing (!) to participate at discussions in English, but you do not have to be a William Shakespeare.

You should have knowledge about the grand theories of IR. If you don't, please prepare accordingly.

There are several small assignments in this seminar which have to be passed in order to write the final exam (Hausarbeit). Students can choose what kind of assignments they want to do. Some of the assignments ask for individual creativity and engagement with the topic by conducting own research. Possible assignments include oral presentation, abstract, fact sheet, and the  role of a discussion moderator. I strongly encourage innovative and creative assignments.