CYBERSPACE:
NEW DOMAIN OF INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
Cyberspace
is such a recent phenomenon that its enabling capabilities are only now
becoming apparent. In human history the expansion of frontiers created new
spaces for human activity.
Earlier initiatives, such as the discovery or
exploration of outer space, were impressive in their own right; at the time
they were considered near miracles. But the construction of cyberspace as a
virtual reality has no precedent, nor does its configuration in terms of global
scale and scope.
This
chapter examines patterns of cyberspace participation and differentials in
cyber access and introduces some features of cyber politics explored in later
chapters. Access to cyberspace access per se provides little insight into the
nature or the impacts of the interactions that take place.
In the
absence of an established research tradition on cyber politics or of common
understandings of cyberspace in international relations, it is useful to
highlight some basic features. By way of introduction,
The
Mapping Challenge
Mapping
cyberspace is often based on a variety of idioms and models, including spatial
models, neural networks, spider like systems, and multilayered structures, among
others. Using a language reminiscent of the early colonial exploration by
European powers, the pioneers of cyberspace remind us that maps are needed not
only to navigate toward and through the unknown but also to chart the new
terrain and delineate its topography.
To state
the obvious: the construction of cyberspace has already demonstrated powerful
political implications. It is not only the permeability of territorial borders
that characterizes the cyber age but also the prevailing ambiguities about the
possibilities of effective control over who transmits, what is transmitted,
when, how, and with what effects.
The comparison between the exploration of
outer space and the construction of cyberspace shows a few sharp differences.
Venturing into outer space is reserved for a few technologically advanced
nations, and space travel is controlled by those directly involved. It was and
is a game for the few and the powerful.
By contrast, access to cyberspace as a virtual
domain of interaction is available in principle to anyone. Despite specific
constraints, barriers to entry remain trivial compared to those for outer
space. Even when barriers to cyber access are acknowledged to be
Differentials
in Access to Cyberspace
Turning
to a worldwide comparative analysis, we focus on a range of differentials
across a set of indicators, notably regional differences, differential cyber
access relative to population, and differences in patterns of language use.
Sources
of Variation
Against
this background, we now turn to some significant features of participation in
cyber venues that provide more insights into the contemporary cyberspace
ecosystem. These include racketing effects, Languages of Internet users,
bandwidth, and mobile technologies, as well as some inferences that can be
drawn from the evidence so far.
The Big
Picture
From a
global perspective, the big picture is clear: participation in cyberspace is
growing at a remarkably rapid rate. Recent Internet use statistics and a view
of potential constituencies (or players) in the domain of cyber politics.
This does
not mean, however, that such participation will be effective or that all voices
can or will be taken into account.
Rather, as with all politics, whether in
kinetic or in virtual domains, the dynamics of interest articulation and
aggregation, in conjunction with the locus of concentration of power and
capabilities, will shape the authoritative allocation of values pertaining to
who gets what, when, and how.
BY
KIMATI ELITRUDAH
BAPRM 42582
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