Protecting hidden infrastructure: The security politics of the global submarine data cable network

IF 4 1区社会学 Q1 INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

Contemporary Security Policy Pub Date : 2021-03-29 DOI:10.1080/13523260.2021.1907129

Christian Bueger, Tobias Liebetrau

引用次数: 14

Abstract

ABSTRACT Undersea communication cables are the core critical infrastructure of the digital age. 99% of all transoceanic digital communication—financial transactions, emails, or voice messaging—is transported through undersea fiber-optic cables. The global submarine cable network is a critical infrastructure that does not receive the analytical attention it deserves. We argue that cable security is a core dimension of current and future international security governance. We present the first systematic survey of the academic discourses that investigate the politics, governance, and protection of submarine data cables. Three rather narrow literatures study the cables (1) as under threat from hybrid warfare and terrorism, or treat the cable network narrowly as a (2) technical or (3) regulatory problem. We demonstrate the need for broadening out the research agenda and addressing key questions of security governance and geopolitics of this increasingly critical infrastructure.

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保护隐藏的基础设施:全球海底数据电缆网络的安全政治

摘要海底通信电缆是数字时代的核心关键基础设施。99%的跨洋数字通信——金融交易、电子邮件或语音信息——都是通过海底光纤电缆传输的。全球海底电缆网络是一个关键的基础设施，没有得到应有的分析关注。我们认为，有线电视安全是当前和未来国际安全治理的核心内容。我们对研究海底数据电缆的政治、治理和保护的学术话语进行了首次系统调查。三篇相当狭窄的文献研究了电缆（1）受到混合战争和恐怖主义的威胁，或将电缆网络狭隘地视为（2）技术或（3）监管问题。我们表明，有必要扩大研究议程，解决这一日益关键的基础设施的安全治理和地缘政治等关键问题。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Contemporary Security Policy Multiple-

CiteScore

14.60

自引率

6.80%

发文量

期刊介绍： One of the oldest peer-reviewed journals in international conflict and security, Contemporary Security Policy promotes theoretically-based research on policy problems of armed conflict, intervention and conflict resolution. Since it first appeared in 1980, CSP has established its unique place as a meeting ground for research at the nexus of theory and policy. Spanning the gap between academic and policy approaches, CSP offers policy analysts a place to pursue fundamental issues, and academic writers a venue for addressing policy. Major fields of concern include: War and armed conflict Peacekeeping Conflict resolution Arms control and disarmament Defense policy Strategic culture International institutions. CSP is committed to a broad range of intellectual perspectives. Articles promote new analytical approaches, iconoclastic interpretations and previously overlooked perspectives. Its pages encourage novel contributions and outlooks, not particular methodologies or policy goals. Its geographical scope is worldwide and includes security challenges in Europe, Africa, the Middle-East and Asia. Authors are encouraged to examine established priorities in innovative ways and to apply traditional methods to new problems.