The Cyber Statecraft Initiative works at the nexus of geopolitics, technology, and security to craft strategies to help shape the conduct of statecraft and to better inform and secure users. This work extends through the competition of state and non-state actors, the security of the internet and computing systems, the safety of operational technology and physical systems, and the communities of cyberspace. The Initiative convenes a diverse network of passionate and knowledgeable contributors, bridging the gap among technical, policy, and user communities.

Our work

The Atlantic Council Technology Programs comprises five existing efforts—the Digital Forensic Research Lab (DFRLab), the GeoTech Center, the Cyber Statecraft Initiative, the Democracy + Tech Initiative, and the Capacity Building Initiative. These operations work together to address the geopolitical implications of technology and provide policymakers and global stakeholders necessary research, insights, and convenings to address challenges around global technology and ensure its responsible advancement.

Team

Fellows

Publications

New Atlanticist

Apr 16, 2013

To Stop North Korean Cyber Attacks, Start in Beijing

By Jason Healey

The recent cyber attacks on South Korea highlight four truths of cyber conflicts as they have actually been fought. The implications of three of them are obvious, the fourth not yet so. Such conflicts are disruptive, but far from warfare. And cyber conflicts are both easier to predict than popular myth has it and the […]

China
Cybersecurity

Cyber 9/12 Project

Apr 12, 2013

Experts simulate response to hypothetical cyber incident

By Jason Harmala

On April 12, the Atlantic Council and Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) hosted the second scenario-driven, interactive conference to discuss the day-after response to a cyber incident. This event, “The Cyber 9/12 Project: Cyber Statecraft after Catastrophes,” brought together experts from sectors such as government, finance, telecommunications, and media to discuss the decision-making process in […]

Cybersecurity

Event Recap

Apr 10, 2013

Developing International Norms for a Safe, Stable & Predictable Cyber Environment

On April 10, 2013, the Atlantic Council and Georgetown University’s Institute for Law, Science and Global Security held its third annual International Engagement on Cyber conference. This gathering promotes dialogue among policymakers, academics, and key industry stakeholders from across the globe, and explores the worldwide community’s increasing interconnectivity in this domain.

Event Recap

Apr 9, 2013

Building on the Results of the Budapest International Cyberspace Conference

By Jason Harmala

On April 9, 2013, the Cyber Statecraft Initiative of the Atlantic Council hosted a roundtable strategy session which reviewed the lessons learned from the governance event in 2012. This workshop was the second in the series Cybersecurity Through Responsible Governance. The Budapest conference in 2012 featured conversations on the relationship between public and private sectors […]

New Atlanticist

Mar 28, 2013

An Inconvenient or Irritating Truth: Applying Law to the New Face of Modern Warfare

By Jason Thelen

In war, there are rules. Some were written long ago in treaties. Others are found in binding customs written in volumes of commentary compiled over time. The point is that these rules can all be found in written form to cite and to reference. They can be used to describe who can be targeted in […]

Cybersecurity
Security & Defense

New Atlanticist

Mar 28, 2013

Paradigms and National Security

By Derek Reveron

To make sense of our complex world, we rely on paradigms to offer insights to solve problems. After World War II, for example, the dominant paradigm was the Cold War, which envisioned a world divided between free and unfree or democratic-capitalist and authoritarian-socialist countries. The paradigm prevented global cooperation and miscalculations almost led to war. While […]

Cybersecurity
National Security

Event Recap

Mar 28, 2013

Tallinn Manual Launch Defines Legal Groundwork for Cyber Warfare

On Thursday, March 28, 2013 the Atlantic Council’s Cyber Statecraft Initiative, in cooperation with the ABA Standing Committee on Law and National Security, hosted the release of the Tallinn Manual, a new treatise that outlines how standards of international law can be applied to the cyber domain.

New Atlanticist

Mar 27, 2013

Reason Finally Gets a Voice: The Tallinn Manual on Cyber War and International Law

By Jason Healey

No longer can a professed cyber expert pronounce, “When is a cyber attack an act of war? This is an interesting question.”  The Tallinn Manual, compiled by a distinguished group of legal scholars and to be launched tomorrow at an Atlantic Council event, asks this and many more questions and—a novelty for the field of cyber […]

Cybersecurity
Security & Defense

New Atlanticist

Mar 26, 2013

No, Cyberwarfare Isn’t as Dangerous as Nuclear War

By Jason Healey

America does not face an existential cyberthreat today, despite recent warnings. Our cyber vulnerabilities are undoubtedly grave and the threats we face are severe but far from comparable to nuclear war.  

Cybersecurity
National Security

New Atlanticist

Mar 20, 2013

Obama’s Cyberwarfare Strategy Will Backfire

By Jason Healey

America’s generals and spymasters have decided they can secure a better future in cyberspace through, what else, covert warfare, preemptive attacks, and clandestine intelligence. Our rivals are indeed seeking to harm U.S. interests and it is perfectly within the president’s purview to use these tools in response. Yet this is an unwise policy that will […]

Cybersecurity
National Security

Events


The Atlantic Council’s Cyber Statecraft Initiative, part of the Atlantic Council Technology Programs, works at the nexus of geopolitics and cybersecurity to craft strategies to help shape the conduct of statecraft and to better inform and secure users of technology.

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