China is a cyber norm entrepreneur, seeking a greater say in creating a global cyber order in line with its rise as a cyber power. China promotes ‘cyber sovereignty’ (wangluo zhuquan), which extends territorial sovereignty into human-created cyberspace as part of a ‘cyberspace shared future’. Financial incentives through ‘Digital Silk Road’ capacity building and coalition building in international institutions are …
How Does War in Ukraine Impact the EU’s Digital Sovereignty?
The Russian war against Ukraine is changing the understanding of what it means to be sovereign in the digital domain. Technology is being deployed and shaped by both sides to transcend traditional dividing lines and change the terms of conflict. To become strategically autonomous, Europe must learn this new topography and ways to navigate it. Only then may Europe mitigate …
Debunking Strategic Autonomy
Strategic autonomy continues to be “hot” in Brussels, Berlin and Paris. Not a week passes without a new policy proposal by the European Commission or a letter from a number of European Heads of State urging the strengthening of strategic autonomy and defence of sovereignty. As the thinking on strategic autonomy is evolving, it’s time to take a critical look …
Digital Sovereignty Viewed from Asia
The rapid pace of global digital transformation has led to new ideas concerning the relationships between economic growth, human development, human rights and national security. The mix of these policies has resulted in many forms of techno-nationalism. Which paradigm a country chooses as dominant may determine its priorities and the future. The US-led objections, based on national security concerns, to …
When Sovereignty Leads and Cyber Law Follows
The Network and Information Security Directive (NIS Directive) is one of the most important pieces of cyber legislation in the EU. Only four years after its entry into force, the European Commission is expected to table a revision of this cyber law by the end of the year. This is an excellent moment to consider this revision in the context …