CEU Electronic Theses and Dissertations, 2015
| Author | Georgieva, Mariya Zdravkova |
|---|---|
| Title | Contesting the State Securitization of Cyberspace: The Impact of Alternative Securitizing Actors |
| Summary | The world today is embedded in cyber and the security of cyberspace is often presented as a matter of national security. In the realm of national security, the state has been the most capable and willing director of security; it has the power to identify threats, exaggerate their significance to its survival, and employ far-reaching countermeasures to protect itself. Nevertheless, individuals are not excluded from the field of security. In light of the recent events exposing the excessive surveillance practices of the United States in the name of security, it is important to revisit our knowledge of how and by whom security is managed in order to assess the extent to which cyberspace allows for non-state/individual actors to affect security. The aim of this thesis is thus two-fold: first, to examine the applicability of the Copenhagen School’s securitization theory in the context of cyberspace in the United States by exploring the discourse of key public policy documents; and second, to evaluate the extent to which non-traditional or alternative securitizing actors can impact the ways in which security is conducted in cyberspace. This research will illustrate the securitizing power of the state by reviewing the hypersecuritization discourse of the United States’ cyberspace policies in the post-9/11 context. By studying the case of Edward Snowden’s revelations and Snowden as an individual actor, this analysis will show how and when alternative securitizations are formulated and whether they can influence existing approaches of security in cyberspace as a field previously securitized by the state. |
| Supervisor | Roe, Paul |
| Department | International Relations MA |
| Full text | https://www.etd.ceu.edu/2015/georgieva_mariya.pdf |
Visit the CEU Library.
© 2007-2021, Central European University