Date Presented
Spring 5-2011
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Bachelor of Science
Department
Political Science
First Advisor
Dr. Marek Payerhin
Second Advisor
Dr. Edward DeClair
Third Advisor
Dr. Kate Gray
Abstract
This essay examines the unwillingness of nation-states to use physical force in response to cyber warfare. Specifically, the paper claims that uncertainties regarding international law, state sovereignty, definitions of the use of force, and the problem of attribution in cyberspace contribute to a state’s decision to forego responding to cyber-attacks by using physical force attacks in other domains (i.e., land, air, sea, and space). These concepts are considered within the framework of Neorealist theory and in reference to the literature on cyber warfare. The 2007 series of cyber-attacks on Estonia are utilized as a case study to further examine the above elements. This paper builds upon the growing body of literature focused on cyber warfare and, in contrast to other research, argues that the international system’s inadequate handling of cyber- war concerns affects states’ responses to cyber-attacks by using physical force.
Recommended Citation
McFarland, Conor, "Cyber Warfare: Explaining the Absence of Physical Force Responses by States" (2011). Undergraduate Theses and Capstone Projects. 91.
https://digitalshowcase.lynchburg.edu/utcp/91