The Rise of Net-States in the Cyberspace: Cyber Power Dynamics and the Disruption of International Security

this dissertation has two main objectives: “1. To assess the concept of Net States as a novel phenomenon outside the traditional framework of state-to-state relations that governs international security. How they are structured and the ways in which operate and influence the cyberspace – political systems and socio-economic structures. 2. To analyse Net States’ potential disruption on international security and cyber power from a global geopolitical and strategical context. The creation of dependencies and security vulnerabilities between traditional nation states and Net states that could lead to conflict or cooperation within the cyberspace.
The next chapter will delve into current literature on the intricacies between the digital (cyberspace) and the physical (international relations). It will review (i) what the cyberspace entails as a domain and infrastructure, and (ii) the cyber security dilemma within cyberspace. Hence, the contextual nature of cyberspace will be deconstructed from a technological and social perspective. Building on the literature review, the third chapter will revisit the key principles and theoretical framework of Neorealism while discussing the emergent phenomenon of Net States. Introducing these cyber entities as a concept parallel to the state unit level of analysis which exists in our physical world. Within this chapter, this dissertation will examine whether Net States might stand as a model for new forms of cyber structures in cyberspace. The fourth chapter will provide a deeper understanding of the cyber power dynamics and the disruptive consequences for the international system. Views on internet governance and cyber power relations among major nation states will be discussed. In this section, a hypothesis formulated from previous literature discussion will evaluate Net States strategical presence in cyberspace.