The pressures for preemptive global cyberwar are building, not because of the conclusion it provides but because of the salvation it offers.
--------------------------------------------
Too many weapons. Too many bad actors. Too many untenable motives.
Such is the realm of cyberspace conflict today, a world where weapons are readily available and new antagonists seeking to advance their agendas can enter the fray with ease.
These are just three of the forces driving a global marathon that is racing toward a dangerous outcome. Only a few – if any – winners will cross the finish line.
It is a world in which the nation-states with cyber power moderate usage of their cyber weapons: China and Russia because they are perhaps satisfied with the intellectual property and military plans they retrieve; Iran and North Korea perhaps due to their fear of retaliation.
The newer cast of bad actors are another problem altogether. Extremists and the growing forces of cyber militias have no such fears and thus present a major danger to the U.S., Britain and other developed nations.
With no one else to rein these dangerous new players in, the U.S. will be forced to take offensive action, even if it takes the form of a widespread cyberwar. Here’s why: