Graduation Year
2019
Date of Submission
4-2019
Document Type
Campus Only Senior Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Arts
Department
International Relations
Reader 1
Katja Favretto
Terms of Use & License Information
Rights Information
© 2019 Matthew R Abrahamsen
Abstract
By the early 2000s, cyberspace had evolved as a place where nations could advance their national security goals and vie for political influence. It is a unique battlefield where states can assert their power, but culpability is infrequent. As a result, nations have developed cyberwarfare strategies and have set up defensive and offensive capabilities in their respective slices of the global network. The United States, the birthplace of the internet, continues to be at the forefront of developing new tools for cyberwarfare. Russia, on the other hand, has had a slow start in securing the internet, but has developed an aggressive attitude towards cyberwarfare. It views its cyber capabilities as indispensable in achieving its political aims. Nations are also discovering that the internet can be used as a highly accessible political tool to distribute information and propaganda. In recent years, the clash of these two cyber powers has shed light on the nature of waging cyberwarfare, and this thesis will aim to analyze this in context.
Recommended Citation
Abrahamsen, Matthew, "Balancing Power on the Internet: US Security Policy in Response to Russian Cyberwarfare" (2019). CMC Senior Theses. 2605.
https://scholarship.claremont.edu/cmc_theses/2605
This thesis is restricted to the Claremont Colleges current faculty, students, and staff.
