March 25, 2022
Introductory Meeting to Discuss the Cyber Studies Programme
Background • The necessity for cyber studies - Gaps in scholarship - Gaps in policy understandings
“We are on the front lines of cyber warfare”
“Cybersecurity is the core national security challenge”
“Cyber power is revolutionising the way we live our lives and fight our wars, just as air power did 100 years ago”
Project Objectives • Research Mission a) Produce scholarly works that contribute to major academic debates and opinions on the geopolitics of cyberspace, especially through the development of causal theories of conflict prevention and strategic stability b) Apply this new knowledge in the analysis of major policy problems affecting the security and welfare of states and citizens
• Impact Mission - Produce scholarly works that contribute to major academic debates and opinions on the geopolitics of cyberspace, especially through the development of causal theories
Research Agenda 1.
International law, norms, and doctrine of cybersecurity -
2.
How can countries develop law and norms to reduce cyber conflict? How do democratic nations and autocratic nations diverge on the priorities of cybersecurity? How can private sector actors support international efforts to stabilize cyberspace?
The geopolitics of cybersecurity in Asia-Pacific -
How do challenger states like China seek to exploit vulnerabilities in the global supply chain for political purposes? What cyber threats does the global semiconductor industry face and what diplomatic, institutional, legal, and technical measures could help to address them? How can democratic nations such as Taiwan and Japan work with their Western partners in Europe and North America to address growing geopolitical threats and instability in cyberspace?
Experimental Methods • Primary data collection and analysis • • • •
Government policy and strategy papers Forensic incident reports Interviews with policymakers and industry executives Technical work on hardware and software vulnerabilities
• Cyber crisis simulation exercise • • • •
Policy Lab data generation Aim is to identify evolutionarily stable strategies for conflict and threat reduction Create a new type of behavioural data set Involve government decisionmakers and industry executives
Outputs & Events • Written outputs -
Research papers Policy briefs Reports Simulation exercise dataset
• Events -
Workshops “Policy Lab” sessions Seminar series
Oxford’s Cybersecurity Community • Oxford University has a vibrant and diverse cybersecurity research community • The University is recognized as an Academic Centre of Excellence in Cyber Security Research by the UK’s National Cyber Security Centre • The Department of Politics and International Relations (DPIR) has a 7-year history of exploring cyber issues within political and policy contexts • Cyber Security Oxford – a university-wide research network • Centre for Doctoral Training in Cyber Security • Oxford Internet Institute • Smart Oxford • Etc.