In a very short time, individuals and companies have harnessed cyberspace to create new industries, a vibrant social space, and a new economic sphere that are intertwined with our everyday lives. At the same time, individuals, subnational groups, and governments are using cyberspace to advance interests through malicious activity. Terrorists recruit, train, and target through the Internet, hackers steal data, and intelligence services conduct espionage. Still, the vast majority of cyberspace is civilian space used by individuals, businesses, and governments for legitimate purposes.

Cyberspace and National Security brings together scholars, policy analysts, and information technology executives to examine current and future threats to cyberspace. They discuss various approaches to advance and defend national interests, contrast the US approach with European, Russian, and Chinese approaches, and offer new ways and means to defend interests in cyberspace and develop offensive capabilities to compete there. Policymakers and strategists will find this book to be an invaluable resource in their efforts to ensure national security and answer concerns about future cyberwarfare.

Each spring, the Cyber Project at Georgetown University’s Institute for Law, Science, and Global Security convenes a conference of leading international experts from academia, the private sector, and government to address cutting-edge issues in cybersecurity.

This issue begins with a group of articles under the theme A Post-Snowden Cyberspace, describing how Edward Snowden’s revelations directly or indirectly changed the way the global community understands cybersecurity and cyber law. Other topics covered include cyber weapons, cyber deterrence, Japan’s cybersecurity strategy, data protection in the private sector, executive accountability for data breaches, minimum security standards for connected devices, and the problem of underinvestment in cybersecurity.

Please note, this special issue is not included in the subscription to the journal.

The Georgetown Journal of International Affairs is the official publication of the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University. Each issue of the journal provides readers with a diverse array of timely, peer-reviewed content penned by top policymakers, business leaders, and academic luminaries.