IS CYBER THE

GEOPOLITICAL WEAPON
OF THE 21ST CENTURY?
N O R M A N D M AT H I L D E – 2 2 / 0 4 / 2 0 2 1
 “We have to prepare
ourselves, because the next
war is not going to be fought

JOHN MC AFEE with bombs and battleships

THE CREATOR OF THE FIRST COMMERCIAL ANTIVIRUS PROGRAM
and airplanes. It’s going to be
a cyber war, far more
devastating than any nuclear
war.”
 MAIN POINTS
In the 21st century, warfare will inevitably be infused with
digital. The only relevant question remains whether this
constitutes a strategic revolution or whether, as is often the case,
there will be no major upheaval.

Although some people question the concept of “cyberwar”,

mostly because it is sometimes a “conflict” between non-state
actors and above all because it does not result in direct casualties
(“cyberwar” does not kill), we must not neglect the potential of
cyber as a real weapon, that could harm people in the end.

Today, cyberspace is experiencing a general struggle that mixes

power interests (traditionally reserved for States), economic
interests (multinational firms, mafias), political or ideological
interests (NGOs, jihadists, Wikileaks, Anonymous, cyberpatriots)
or individual interests (from the small hacker renting his services
to the whistleblower Edward Snowden).

To develop : Will governments succeed in protecting themselves,

and how?