Power and Security in the Information Age: Investigating the Role of the State in Cyberspace

The marriage of computers and telecommunications, the global integration of these technologies and their availability at low cost is bringing about a fundamental transformation in the way humans communicate and interact. But however much consensus there may be on the growing importance of information technology today, agreement is far more elusive when it comes to pinning down the impact of this development on security issues. Written by scholars in international relations, this volume focuses on the role of the state in defending against cyber threats and in securing the information age. The manuscript is captivating with the significance and actuality of the issues discussed and the logical, knowledgeable and engaged presentation of the issues. The essays intrigue and provoke with a number of 'fresh' hypotheses, observations and suggestions, and they contribute to mapping the diverse layers, actors, approaches and policies of the cyber security realm.

Table of Contents:
Chapter 1 Introduction: Information, Power, and Security – An Outline of Debates and Implications, Myriam Dunn Cavelty, Elgin M. Brunner; Chapter 2 Is Anything Ever New? – Exploring the Specificities of Security and Governance in the Information Age, Myriam Dunn Cavelty; Chapter 3 Meta-power, Networks, Security and Commerce, J.P. Singh; Chapter 4 Cyberspace and Sovereignty: Thoughts on Physical Space and Digital Space, Geoffrey L. Herrera; Chapter 5 Terrorist Use of the Internet and the Challenges of Governing Cyberspace, Maura Conway; Chapter 6 Improving Information Security in Companies: How to Meet the Need for Threat Information, Manuel Suter; Chapter 7 The Role of the State in Securing the Information Age – Challenges and Prospects, Myriam Dunn Cavelty, Victor Mauer;

About the Author :
Myriam Dunn Cavelty is Senior Research Fellow, Head of the 'New Risks' Research Unit and CRN Coordinator (Comprehensive Risk Analysis and Manage­ment Network) at the Center for Security Studies, ETH Zurich, Switzerland. Victor Mauer is Deputy Director at the Center for Security Studies, ETH Zurich, Switzerland. Sai Felicia Krishna-Hensel is Director of the Interdisciplinary Global Studies Research Initiative at the Center for Business and Economic Development, Auburn University at Montgomery, USA.

Review :
'The authors do a fine job of exploring the threats to security that accompany society's ever-increasing reliance on the Internet. We have entered an era of ambiguity about the balance between benefits and threats in this realm, and policy makers who must address security challenges in the cyberworld will find much to value in this volume's thorough analysis of crucial issues.' Philip Seib, University of Southern California, USA 'A welcome and wide ranging examination of the many security risks and challenges facing national and international institutions in the Information Age.' Sy Goodman, Georgia Institute of Technology, USA '...[the volume] makes an important and timely contribution to understanding the security effects of information technology, and its inferences would benefit both the student and practitioner of security studies and international relations.' Political Studies Review '...raises the spectre and the difficulty of analyzing the threats and risks in cyberspace to the relationship of the Internet with the notion of the cyber-state...this book advances the argument in important ways.' Communication and Research Trends