What Great Powers Make It: International Order and the Logic of Cooperation in Cyberspace.

摘要

Public goods are commonly referred to as the collective benefits provided by governments to the larger society. In international politics, a general assumption about public goods is that the more states partake of a good, the greater the benefit for all. Historically speaking, achieving international cooperation on such issues has been relatively easy -- the costs of cooperating are fairly low and interests harmonious. One might expect cooperation to easily emerge within cyberspace, yet the pessimism surrounding that idea is profound; one scours the literature to find analyses that do not stress the enormity of the difficulties, vulnerabilities, and dangers governments face as they enter the cyber age. Indeed, some cyber pessimists have referred to the idea of devising a comprehensive treaty on cyberspace as a 'pipe dream.' Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano noted that efforts for 'a comprehensive international framework' to govern cyber behaviors are still at a nascent stage.' No doubt, cyberspace poses problems for international cooperation, but do the problems it poses differ substantially from those governments have faced in the past. That is an important question worth examining. As cyberspace continues to evolve, the great powers will inevitably use their collective powers to transform it into a legitimate, durable, and relatively peaceful realm of activity bound by established standards and procedures in which they and others can operate and thrive. Since this is an unconventional claim, it is important to elaborate the argument by examining the pessimists' claims and the logic of cooperation. Next, international order and the role of the great powers are discussed, before offering a framework for the coming cyber regime and the policy implications that stem from it. In short, mine is an optimistic argument that pivots on one central, albeit overlooked idea: Cyberspace is, and will be, what the great powers make it.