Is Cyber Warfare the Future of War?

Is Cyber warfargon the Future of War?IntroductionUndoubtedly, the twentieth degree centigrade could be counted as thebloodiest in human history man has been at contend for a lot extended than he hasbeen at peace. The death tolls ar incalculable although historians putestimates at somewhere between 170 zillion to 210 million. No true figures areavailable but what is undisputed is the proliferation and effect of war on everyaspects of society. Its sham on the soldier and the civilian as comfortably as theeconomy and society or civilization has condition birth to the image of total war(Marwil, 2000). The last time totalwar was experienced was the Second institution War which invariably led to the ice-coldWar and its all told-encompassing nature on e truly aspect of society(Stavrianakis & Selby,2012).Particularly with applied science, the 20th century has regardn theadvancement of engineering to epistemic levels where it has produced the conceptof modern war atomic mec hanisms, satellite guided missiles, chemical andbiological weapons and electronic dr peerlessnesss no(prenominal) of which break eclipsed the older stamps of war(Barkawi, 2011). A impertinent form of war has evolved and it is part of the 4th Industrial renewingit is cyber state of war.To belowstand its signifi toilettece, iodine only has to look at former President Barack Obama declaring the digital infrastructure of the US as strategic matter asset to be fostered with the wide resources available to the join States. Obama prompted the organization of a especial(a) unit in the Pentagon called Cybercom whose sole purpose is to prepare the US for the inevitable cyber war that America pull up s adds be embroiled in. The UK has also set up the demesneal Cyber certification design and NATO has released the Tallinn Manual on the International Law Applicable to Cyber Warfare a three-year study by international scholars setting disclose ninety-rules to g everywheren emplo yments among nations. Cyber state of war is definitely gearing up as a new line of business for conflict.This dissertation looks at the mental object of cyber warfare andexamines how widespread a concern this is to nations and if thence it is just aconcern of the super powers. Just like atomic weapons has become a multitudeweapon of magnitude, the earthly concern of a function has still non experienced a nu suck war. Insteadnuclear talent is being workd to advance economies and aid production and meetenergy needs. Is cyber distance similar to the curse of nuclear weapons? Does it fiddleually do more than good that the proposed harm that is being touted? Thisdissertation will verbalise out a unoriginal selective study analysis to belowstand the currentliterature on the subject and determine if indeed cyber warfare is the newarena of conflict.NarrativeThe organising principle of every theme in this dissertationis layered each pop outs with a common historical and c ontextual appraisal invariably miserable to specifics and constantly looking at the problem-solution dilemma. Tosubstantiate or clarify explanations, arguments, themes, findings and so forth,foot nones will be implicated and/or non-integral citations will be put ond to focaliseattention more on the investigate being discussed and little on the look intoers orauthors. completely related studies to this dissertation will be research/informationprominent.With a few exceptions, English is employ all in thisdissertation and thitherfore reach usage is historic in the organisationalnarrative. Where annexe is do to a single study, the past simple strainwill be used. Where discoverence is made to more than one study or an area ofresearch, the pre direct perfect tense will be used. Where reference is made to generallyaccepted knowledge, particularly with respect to cyber warfare or generallyaccepted knowledge in international trans motion, information technology orgeo policy- making sympathies, the present tense will be used.Finally, the choice of reporting verbs in this dissertationwill inadvertently express a certain attitude be it critical distance, doubt,certainty, confusion etc. As much as come-at-able, I learn tried to maintain thesame reporting verbs used in citing research and evoking emotion in myreflexive thoughts. Sometimes this has not been possible and the same reportingverb will express different attitudes depending on the context. Where this hasoccurred, I have elaborated some(prenominal) misconception or mis belowstanding in thecorresponding footnotes. Themes and conceptsThe chronological allege of the table of contents gives astraightforward description of the chapter and sub-chapter headings in thisdissertation. Thematically, the dissertation is divided into 4 chapters.Chapters 1-3 conduct with the research justification as well as academic andmethodological at a lower placepinnings. These chapters set the terms of reference for t hedissertation and elaborate its research direction and deal with the subjectmatter, cyber warfare. Chapter 4 deals with the endings, discussion of the resultsand conclusion.Theoretical and conceptual frameworkWar, Conflict and insurrectionIt is imperative to understand international dealing andthe theories and concepts underpinning them before looking at cyber warfare asa new arena for war. The Melian Dialogue in the great 5th century BC classic ofThucydides History of the Peloponnesian War best describes the context inwhich one looks at the international system. At a point in the PeloponnesianWars, the Athenians wanted to take over the indifferent(p) island of Melos to obtaincontrol over the Aegean Sea. An Athenian fleet was dispatched to Melos to tryand negotiate a declivity and the ensued dialogue, as told by Thucydides,captures the essence and birth of our international system today. The Athenians tell to the Melians that since you know as well as we do that right, as the orb goes, is only in question between equals in power, while the strong do what they can and the weak suffer what they must. (Thucydides) The international system today is premised on the concomitant thatnation presents can and do exert their power over weaker assures although some dowork done a collaborative system to ensure a common purpose. The study ofinternational relations begins with the very notion that there is no importantauthority which acts as the ultimate arbiter in sphere combats. Nations sim fly the coopdo what they can through inversely beneficial bond certificates and discard them whentheir bets are no extended served. If we look at manhood history before the 20thcentury, international relations could be tell to be in a state of anarchy asthere was no central figure. From1078, mainland china was the dry lands major producer of steel, the worldly concerns leader intechnical innovations, the worlds leading trading nation, possessed the sizablest comm ercial ships and these are just to mention a few. fewer academicswould now dispute that chinaware was the worlds hyperpower for 800 geezerhood before the rise of British imperialism inthe 19th century. Despite china being a hyperpower for 800 years,there is no record of both central authority governing the behaviour ofnation-states. They simply did what they could to nations who couldnt fight cover version. Ironically chinaware was insular and did not engage in whatever internationalconflicts.Every study of international relations or politics beyondthat makes assumptions about the state of anarchy and offers a income tax returnexplanation of an international system with inter-state relations and ahierarchical intrastate system. A system that we have now with bodies like theUnited Nations, the World Trade Organization regulating economic relations andthe International Criminal Court prosecuting crimes against humanity. International relations deals with how nationstates dec ide to exist without a central authority or with no structure or howthey choose to create one. Waltz (1979) describes the juxtaposition of the internationalsystem and the domestic system by explaining that domestic systems are centralized and hierarchic, international systems are decentralized and lawlessWaltz 1979, p. 88 All approaches to international relations and studying thebehaviour of nation-states begins with an assessment of the anarchic structurein the international system. Anarchy is the starting point of viewinginternational relations but that view depends on the positioning a countrychooses to take. lets begin with the oldest view recorded since the Meliandialogue between the Athenians and the Melians. The semipolitical rea inclineperspective is known as a surmise one subscribes to in international relations.A political touchableist is under no illusions that countries behave with the singlepurpose of self-interest and therefore actions and reactions are done to d efendthat interest. Nation states are geared towards survival, gibe to therealist and this can often mean exerting strength over a weaker foeman oracceding to a collaboration with a stronger foe. All is done for the purpose of ensuring the continuation ofthe state by any instrument pack. thereof, the only flair to predict behaviouris to predict survival. Realists do not attain a set of behavioural guide spots buta survival of the fittest in the international jungle of world politics. Oras one might put it succinctly, might is right. To the realist, theinternational nightclub is that of ensuring that power relations are conducted insuch a manner that outcomes are mutually exclusive. iodine party will always gainover the former(a) so the purpose for the nation-state in any negotiations is to bethe winner. Where this cannot be achieved then the realist will view this as aprecarious position to be in. Realists view of the anarchical order candescribe the behaviour of nation-s tates in dissimilar ways from the classical musicrealist to the neorealist and several forms in between. Whichever view issubscribed to, anarchy forms the basis of that world view and the expectedbehaviour of nation-states(Heginbotham, 2015).Liberalist recognise the importance of anarchy in theinternational system in just the same way as the realists. Both good-looking andrealist accept the absence of a supreme authority directing the affair ofnation-states. Where liberals and the liberal view differ on the subject iswhat can be done within the anarchic system. Liberals believe thatnation-states and state actors can actually come together to build rules,guideline, set up institutions and shoot various monitoring bodies to governor at least modify the behaviour of nation-states so that they can worktogether for a common person(Barkawi, 2011). Outcomes do not have to be mutually exclusive but can bemutually beneficial in an anarchic system, consort to the liberal view ofinternati onal relations. Through joint cooperation, liberals believe that thebehaviour of nation-states can be changed to achieve a level of power wherestates feel secure about their relationships with opposite states and do not seekto merge power at the expense of some others. This classical liberal view canbe seen in the world today as neoliberalism. Liberals still see anarchy in theinternational system but see it as something that can be overcome through aconcerted effort.Whatever view one prescribes, the prevailing wisdom is thatnation states will shift between theories and concepts to advance their ownagenda and not confine themselves to an enduring guiding principle. The conceptof cyber warfare, I would argue, follows suit.Defining the cyber worldAl closely twenty-five years ago, cyberspace as we know it didnot exist beyond the primitive computers placed in research laboratories andacademic institutions. In occurrence, cyberspace was merely a theoretical conceptthat was considered unachievable. Today that has drastically changed. Our worldwould be unfathomable without cyberspace. To put its vastness intoperspectives, approximately 4 billion people are online with round 50 billiondevices ranging from super computers to desktops to laptops to smartphones totablets. On a yearly basis, 90 trillion emails are sent and two trilliontransactions are conducted in cyberspace (Turns, 2012). Cyberspacepermeates are lives so much that we use it for everything from internationaltrade, to logistics, communications, record keeping, financial transactions tosending flowers All these positive contributions are the kindly side ofcyberspace. The malevolent aspect of cyberspace is ignored by the public unlessa scare or scandal brings it to the surface. Figures estimate that on a dailybasis, around 55,000 pieces of malware are found, 200,000 computers arehijacked1aswell as the countless cast of frauds that go unreport.How exactly does one define cyberspace? That question is not clean to answer as there are as many answers as there are experts in the field.A notable expert worth considering is Daniel Kuehl who collected a series ofdefinitions from various sources and analysed his findings(Curran, et al., 2008). He conclude thatcyberspace consisted of a few dimensions namelyAn operational space it is anoperational space where proponents of the domain ply their trade and perfecttheir skills. An electronic domain it is an electronicnetwork comprising of computers and a vast network of electromagnetic activityInformation domain it is a network ofinformation that is not limited to a particular location, time and spaceKuehl analysed all these aspects and offered his owndefinition which will be used in this dissertation A spherical domain within the information environment whose distinctive and unique character is framed by the use of electronics and the electromagnetic spectrum to create, store, modify, exchange and exploit information via interdependent and interconnected networks using information-communication technologies.Kuehl, 2009 Cyber terrorism is a portmanteau of the terms cyberspace andterrorism and was starting line recognised and used in 1996 but became popular by and by a1998 report from the Center for strategical and International Studies titled Cybercrime, Cyberterrorism, CyberwarfareAverting an Electronic Waterloo. The report discussed the possibilities ofan electronic attack, likely outcomes and expected methods(Carr, 2011). Three terms areoften confused when discussing Cyber terrorism so it is crucial that they aredefined here.Cyber terrorism It is premeditated,politically motivated attacks by sub national groups or hole-and-corner(prenominal) agents, orindividuals against information and computer systems, computer programs, and information that result in violence against non-combatant targets (Colarik & Janczewski,2012).Information warfare It is aplanned attack by nations or their agents against information and computersystems, computer programs, and information that result in enemy losses (Colarik & Janczewski,2012).Cyber crime Cyber crime isa crime committed through the use of information technology (Colarik & Janczewski,2008).This is more of the documented cyber related terms because it has receivedadequate coverage overdue to its proliferation in domestic law enforcement. In theU.S., the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act defines Internet unlawful acts (Jensen, 2009). Furthermore, the EuropeanUnion members of the NATO alliance have domestic laws implementing the 1995E.U. Data Privacy Directive (Knapp & Boulton, 2006). For argumentssake, cybercrime includes offences such asthe impairment of information, misuse of devices, interception of entropy offenses. traditional criminal offenses facilitatedthrough the use of the internet, e.g. fraud, procure infringement, childpornography Cybercrime has received a lot ofinternational attention and was formally discussed at the Council of Europ es2001 meeting on Cybercrime(Robinson, et al., 2015). This convention isstill the only international understanding in place that exclusively focusseson cybercrimes. Terrorism The unlawful useor threatened use of force or violence by a person or an organized groupagainst people or property with the intention of fright or coercingsocieties or political relations, often for ideological or political reasons (Dragan, et al., 2012). investigate ApproachResearch QuestionsThisresearch will attempt to explore and answer three questions regarding the broadthemes that preliminary research has shown and in line with the gaps in currentacademic researchWhat exactly is cyber space?Is an information war a war in the conventional sense?Is Russia engaging in a cyber war with the westside?Thedissertation considered various approaches to address the questions above aswell as examine different options such as sources of data, lawsuit of researchframework, timescale and methodology. In trying to an swer any of the researchquestions, it was clear that any primary data used to carry out the researchand with the available time limit would not be possible or indeed producevaluable information. This dissertation needed to design an analyticalframework to counter this problem. Thus, I attempt to make a justification forcarrying out secondary analysis of qualitative data and the benefits andlimitations of the approachSecondary Data CollectionIn settingabout the data collection, it was imperative I included boundaries for the study,the protocol for recording the data as well as the methodology for analysing itwhich are all set out below. The secondary data included qualitative documentsand qualitative audio and visual materials. The list of secondary evidenceskept evolving and the research continued. However, below is the final list ofsecondary evidences used.Data from various government departmentsNews articles from newspapersData and analysis from periodicals, books, journals etc.Da ta from non-governmental agencies and public bodiesData from online sourcesSecondary Analysis of soft DataSecondarydata analysis is fundamentally re-analysis of data collected by anotherresearcher (Elliot, 2015). Andrews et al gave a definition of secondarydata analysis as the collection and use of forwardly collected data foranother purpose(Andrews, et al., 2012). Inaddition, they also explained that the use of secondary data analysis firstappeared when one of the founders of Grounded Theory (Glaser) discussed thepossibility of re-analysing data that had already been collected for otherpurposes (Andrews, et al., 2012). nonwithstanding, secondary analysis is still not very popular and there havebeen very limited reviews of its use (Hinds, et al., 1997). At thispoint, it is pertinent that a distinction be made between secondary analysis,documentary analysis, systemic reviews and meta-analysis. Secondary dataanalysis is the examination of primary data2from previous research studies. Such data would include examples such assemi-structured interviews, research diaries, responses to open-ended questionsin questionnaires, transcripts of interviews/conversations etc. On the otherhand, documentary analysis would involve the analysis of data such asauto-biographies, own(prenominal) diaries, photographs etc. Heaton does point out thatthere could be some considerable overlap between secondary analysis anddocumentary analysis (Heaton, 2008).Meta-analysis and Systematic critical reviews both involve both involve going overpublished findings of previous research studies unlike secondary data analysisthat looks at the primary data and not just the published findings.Review & DiscussionIntroductionCyber warfare has different definitions depending on whichtheoretician is applying it and which country is examining and applying theconcept for example, the U.S. military view cyber warfare in very differentterms from the Russians. To begin with the word cyber is a completely n ewphenomenon that arose after the dot com boom and the start of the 4thRevolution. Not surprisingly, it has not filtered into the established rules ofwar or build up conflict adhered to by other nation states(Chen, 2010). For starters, theword cyber is not found in the 1949 Geneva Conventions and any of theadditional Protocols (it has not been inserted there). The word, in commonusage, relates to a whole host of things ranging from computers and theirnetworks to the information in these computers to purge the process of uploadingand retrieving this information. By extension, the word cyber warfare will include actscommitted in furtherance of any act against and adversary using everything thatis considered part of the cyber domain. In looking at acts, cyber warfarewould include offensive acts, defensive acts or acts of deterrence. By thisexplanation, it will include disseminating offensive information throughcomputers or computer networks(Andress & Winterfeld,2011).Cyber warfare is one that has no clear boundaries or actors which makes a lotof the current legislation unhelpful. Acts of war or states of war are usually designate to recognised states and combatants. But in this case, cyber warfarecan be conducted by states, agents of states, non-state actors, internationalgroups or any collection of people with a single vested interest or even oneindividual(Cornish, et al., 2010). Cyber Warfare and the statutory questionThis dissertation started off with trying to determine ifcyber warfare is the new arena of conflict. withal though I have attempted todefine cyber and cyber warfare, there are still large parts of this area ofstudy that need to be examined. A lot of the current research already makes theassumption that cyber warfare is warfare because of its obvious name or that afew of the permanent members of the UN Security Council are making the case.But what is the legal argument to justify treating cyber warfare as warfare?Lets begin with the least dispu ted agreement and definitionof what leads to arm conflict. It is generally accepted that armed force isthe necessary requirement for armed conflict. The UN direct Article 2(4)provides, All members of the UN shall refrain in their international relations from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any State . . .,. Exceptions are use of force authorized by the Security Council, and self-defense pursuant to Article 5 1. Even customary law that applies to non-UN members still hasthe expectation of the same necessary requirement although it must be pointedout that this is only applicable to state actors (Kelsey, 2008). Non-state actorswhere not envisioned when the select was framed. Nonetheless, this is stillthe legal argument as it stands. Cyber warfare does not seem to meet thethreshold of armed force although many would argue otherwise. And it is thisargument that is usually translated into the foreign policy of some states(Gomper t & Libicki,2014).Even the UN Charter Article 51 still proposes that a response to attack is onlyjustified if the initial or first attack is an armed attack. As it stands today,cyber warfare is not recognised as a decriminalise war just in the same way thatthe War on Terror is not a legitimate war but a cornerstone of US foreignpolicy. By extension, it stands to reason that a cyber attack is notin reality an attack recognised by the UN (Droege., 2012). Ultimately the viewof whether an act is a cyber attack or part of cyber warfare is merely one thatis only determined by the recipient of the act and how they choose to respondthrough dialogue or retaliation? In addition, the impression of theinternational community plays a significant part even though state actors oftenform alliances that ensures that an attack on one nation state could be anattack on the complete alliance e.g. a cyber attack on a NATO member state. Nothaving a legal basis for an action does not in any way imply tha t it is nottreated as a conflict or war. We only have to look at the U.S. justificationsfor bombing, Iraq, Afghanistan and Syria in clear violation of the U.N. Charternone of these states had perpetrated an armed attack against the U.S. Theinternational community enjoined the U.S. even though other states had pointedout at the clear hypocrisy being committed by the U.S. If one is to considercyber warfare and cyber attacks, then answering the legal question isinsufficient. One must refer to the prevailing theory of internationalrelations one subscribes to or comment on wider matters governing a statesbehaviour. This dissertation will look at empirical examples of cyber warfare.Global Cyber warfare mainland China vs USIn todays information age, the Peoples republic of China has replaced and even im essayd upon KGB methods of industrial espionage to the point that the Peoples Republic of China now presents one of the most capable threats to U.S. technology leadership and by extension its national shelter.Dan Verton, Cyber Warfare Expert (Hjortdal, 2011) It is easy to provide that in 1820, Greece had revolted against the tuffet Empire, Britainhad opened the first modern railway and was on its way to an explodingindustrial revolution, Brazil had nervously declared independence from Portugaland that China was the worlds superpower with the largest share of world-wide GDP.In fact, it is easy to forget because history has been written specifically togloss over these facts. Western academia has repeatedly highlighted China as acollective of starved, dispossessed and slaughtered people and not aprosperous, dynamic and global power from 1100 1820. From 1078, China was theworlds major producer of steel, the worlds leader in technical innovations,the worlds leading trading nation, possessed the largest commercial ships andthese are just to mention a few. a few(prenominal)academics would now dispute that China was the worlds hyperpower for 800 years before the rise of British imperialism inthe 19th century. Western imperialism and Chinas decline has beendocumented in detail which this book cannot do justice to. The rise of Chineseeconomic and political strength is unquestionably due to the communistic political party ofChina which began when the Third Plenary Session of the 11th Central Committeeof Communist Party of China adopted a reform policy triggering the privatesector3. Since 1978, entrepreneurship has driven theChinese economy and the economic and political changes since then remainunprecedented. So transformative has this change been that China is now athreat to the US in the information superhighway. A recent event in 2016 putsthis threat into context.China builds worlds high-speed supercomputer without U.S.chipsChina on Monday revealed its latest supercomputer, a monolithic system with 10.65 million compute cores built entirely with Chinese microprocessors. This follows a U.S. government decision last year to deny China access to In tels accelerated microprocessors. There is no U.S.-made system that comes close to the performance of Chinas new system, the Sunway TaihuLight. Its theoretical peak performance is 124.5 petaflops, according to the latest biannual release today of the worlds Top500 supercomputers. It is the first system to exceed 100 petaflops. A petaflop equals one thousand trillion (one quadrillion) sustained floating-point operations per second.ComputerWorld (June 20, 2016 http//www.computerworld.com/article/3085483/high-performance-computing/china-builds-world-s-fastest-supercomputer-without-u-s-chips.html) It has earlier been argued that cyberspace is open to bothstate actors and non-state actors. Because actions can be taken by anindividual in a state, it is extremely hard to prove culpability of the state.In other words, a cyber attack from a computer in China in no way implies thatthe cyber attack was orchestrated by the Chinese state. Proving culpability isextremely hard and this fact alo ne hinders the argument that cyber warfarecould be a new arena of conflict. Having said this, the media is awash withstories of Chinese cyber attacks on the U.S. but it is always lacking inevidence. Ironically, one never hears of U.S. cyber attacks on China or at thevery least the mainstream media never reports it. Despite Chinas repeateddenials of culpability and its demand for proof that its citizens areresponsible for cyber attacks on U.S. interests, the U.S. have taken the boldstep in 2011 to protrude a statement from the National CounterintelligenceExecutive that China is the most active and persistent perpetrator of cyber intrusionsinto the United States (Heginbotham, 2015). As there are no clear defined rules on cyber warfare, anyescalation of tensions between China and the U.S. could be construed and framedin the words of a potential conflict similar to the rhetoric that started andfuelled the Cold War between the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. This Cold War metaphoris how comment ators are viewing the Cyber race between China and the U.S.According to President Barack Obamas 2011 Cyberspace Policy Review,cybersecurity risks pose some of the most serious economic and nationalsecurity challenges of the 21st century (Solis, 2014). This rhetoric isbacked up by the steps the U.S. has taken to secure its strategic advantage inthe domain. In 2009, the U.S. created the Cyber Command under the NationalSecurity post (NSA) with the express purpose of putting cyber warfare in theforefront of its military and defensive strategy. In addition, the departmentof Defence (DoD) also has the Pentagon Strategy for Operating in Cyberspace withChina clearly set in its sights.These aggressive overtures by the U.S. have not beenignored. According to the Chinese Ministry of Public Security, they are of theopinion that cyber attacks on Chinese computer installations grow at a rate of80% annually making China the largest and most venerable recipient of cyberattacks (Robinson, et al., 2015). To put it intocontext, in 2011, China succumbed to a cyber attack where 100 millionusernames, passwords and emails were leaked unto the internet.What is commonly acknowledge is that the U.S. practicallycontrols the entire internet and other states are using every means possible toreduce the influence of that control and threat even though the US wasinstrumental in the development of the internet. For the global internet to befully operational, it requires 13 root serves. 10 of the 13 are based in the USand the other 3 are based in Japan, Sweden and the Netherlands. ICANN, the framethat authorises domain names and designations is based in the U.S. With thesefacts in mind, the U.S. has the most potential to turn cyber space into a cyberthreat. At least that is the argument posed by China and they insist on beingable to protect their national interests. With both sides staking a nationalinterest priority, it is not surprising that cyber warfare could be the adjacentarena betwe en the U.S. and China (Lieberthal & Singer,2012).Global Cyber warfare Russia vs the rest of the worldThe Russians view cyber and cyberspace in completelycontradictory terms to the U.S. and the West in general. low and foremost,the Russians do not generally refer to the term cyber as a distinct concept inthe way political theorists in the West do. Russia, and to some extent China,have a wider understanding of information and its control regardless of themedium chosen. So, given its long history with controlling information aboutand through the state during the era of the Soviet Union, electronic informationis just one conduit or category of information that can be utilized,manipulated and harnessed for the great good of the state. That is to saythat the notion of cyber is just another mechanism by which information isrelayed and does not take priority over other mechanisms in importance just inpractical relevance. In Russian military doctrine, information and disinformationgo hand in hand and are tools used by the state apparatus to achieve a desiredobjective for its citizens or against its adversaries. It is utilized withjudicious foresight towards a purpose in addition to other traditional methodsand processes. In practical terms, if information (or disinformation) helpsanother weapon to tool, then Russian military theorists see electronicinformation merely as an enabler or facilitator. Therefore information isrelevant to already established practices of the state such as disinformationoperations, electronic warfare, Psychology trading operations (also known as PsyOps),political subversion and subterfuge, economic warfare etc. According to (Carr, 2011), this is stated clearly in the Military Doctrine of the Russian Federation (2010) .. features of modern military conflicts is the prior implementation of measures of information warfare in order to achieve political objectives without the utilization of military force and, subsequently, in the interest of sh aping a favourable response from the world community to the utilization of military force.Carr, 2011Cyber warfare, according to Russian theorists, is justinformation warfare by another means but more efficient than other types ofinformation warfare. Cyber warfare is a legitimate tool of the state, so theargument goes, in peacetime and in conflict. It does not hold a specialprominence like it does in the U.S. Cyber warfare is regulated to accompanyingother tools of the state but given its nature, it has no set rules, noboundaries, no prescribed limits and no real restrictions or applications. Sucha view is diametrically opposite to that of the concept of cyberspace held inthe West. In permit of this theory, the Russian state apparatus is structuredquite differently from the U.S.Cyberspace and cyber warfare started under the remit of the FederalSecurity Service (Federalnaya Sluzhba Bezopastnosti federal savings bank) which was taskedwith initiating information and disinformation wars using whatever meansnecessary including cyber warfare. The FSB also maintains and controls SORM, theStates internal cyber surveillance system. In addition to the FSB, The FederalService for lapse in the Sphere of Telecommunications, InformationTechnologies and Mass Communications (Roskomnadzor), is also tasked withcontrolling the civilian media, telecommunications, the internet, the radio andany electronic media. Russias strategy of seeing cyber warfare as a continuationof normal political and military overtures was witnessed in the war withGeorgia in 2008(Robinson, et al., 2015). To date, Russia isstill the only country to use all three of military, economic and cyber warfareon an adversary in the international arena. Russia had a two-pronged attackwhen it used military weapons and cyber warfare to defeat Georgia. Similarly,in its conflict with Ukraine in 2014, its conventional use of military weapons andcyber warfare resulted in Ukrainian government websites being shut down,mass ive denial of service attacks being reported and energy installationsbeing hacked into. This is the first of many of these sorts of total warfarethat will continue in the new future. One only has to read newspaper reports ofcyber attacks occurring on a daily basis. But does this constitute a new arenaof conflict? I think given what is already going on in conflicts around theworld, the question has already been answered. Whether by design or accident,states are using cyber warfare as a tool against their adversary(Lieberthal & Singer,2012).Worlds first Cyber WarNo other body of research could bemore persuasive that presenting details of the worlds first cyber war tosupport the argument that cyber warfare is now a new arena of conflict. Thefirst known incident of an entire country being subjected to an all out cyberwar was Estonia. To understand the gravity of this event is to look at thehistory of Estonia. Estonia wascontrolled by the Soviet Union for nearly 50 years and obtained its independence in 1991. consequently it was a desolate country which has been starved ofinfrastructure and economic development. With a population of just under 2million, it has carved a future for itself as one of the most wired andtechnological go countries in the world. It is truly a model of a smartcountry with widespread ecommerce and e-government services or so unparalleledanywhere in the world.As a state once controlled by the Soviets until 1991, the country is punctuated with Soviet history and struggle. The capital city, Tallinn, had monuments erected to the Soviet soldiers who fought and died in the struggle to keep Germany out of Russia. Estonia, as it is their right, decided to persist the monument to a cemetery which met angry objections from Russian leaders and the large Russian community that grew out of a 50 year occupation. Russia saw Estonia as a symbol of struggle and the Estonians saw Russia as a symbol of oppression. After altercations in the city centre follo wing the removal of the monument, Estonia found that its entire electronic infrastructure was disrupted. The state administration was paralysed, banks and companies had to freeze their operations, the internet was practically down and nothing was working. culpableness was had to prove but it was the first recorded total cyber war against a state. Again, there is no proof that the perpetrators were state sponsored or indeed it was a malicious attack but the timing and the magnitude points to more than a criminal cohort (there was no financial advantage gained in the event) and to a state sponsored cyber attack. more than importantly, Estonians pointed the finger at Russia and being members of NATO, they retained the prerogative to invoke Article 5 of NATO an attack against one is an attack against all.PostscriptIf there was any uncertainty about cyber warfare becomingthe new arena of conflict then the headlines below might seem ominous as theyare similar to the headlines that prece ded the First World War and the SecondWorld War. And these were in just over 3 days.Malta accuses Russia of cyber-attacks in accumulate to electionThe embattled Maltese government has claimed that it has comeunder attack from a Russian-backed campaign to countercheck it, amid worseningrelations with the Kremlin.Malta assumed the presidency of Europes Council of Ministersin January, an important position under which it chairs high-level meetings inBrussels and sets Europes political agenda. Since then, the Maltesegovernments IT systems have seen a rise in attacks, according to a sourceworking within its information technology agency, a government body. He claimedthe attacks, which have increased ahead of next months general election, aredesigned to damage the government. In the last two quarters of last year andthe first part of this year, attacks on our servers have increased, the sourcesaid.(Doward, 2017)Trump executive order aims to protect US from blasting cyber attack US Presi dent Donald Trump this month signed an executive order that aims to increase security department for US essential services in case of a cyber attack that results in blasting regional or national effects on public health or safety, economic security, or national security. (Kuchler, 2017)Nth Korea launches cyber attacks on USNorth Koreas main spy agency has a special cell called Unit 180 thatis likely to have launched some of its most daring and successful cyberattacks, according to defectors, officials and internet security experts. NorthKorea has been blamed in recent years for a series of online attacks, for the most part onfinancial networks, in the United States, South Korea and over a dozen othercountries. Cyber security researchers have also said they have found technicalevidence that could link North Korea with the global WannaCry ransomwarecyber attack that infected more than 300,000 computers in 150 countries thismonth. Pyongyang has called theallegation ridiculous. (Reute rs, 2017)The research question ofwhether cyber warfare is a new arena of conflict is probably not in any doubt.The argument reverts back to the beginning of this research when examined therealist approach to international relations. Even if one were to look at thevast number of institutions in the international system and make a please forcalmer heads prevailing, the realpolitik ofcurrent geopolitics shows that cyber attacks can, and will most likely, be usedas a pretext and as a tool of war. It is no longer a question of if but when. BibliographyAndersen, P. H. & Kragh, H., 2011. Beyond theinductive myth New approaches to the role of existing theory in caseresearch. . In R. Marschan-Piekkari & C. Welch, eds. 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