The Literature Review Assignment
Cyber Conflict in International Relations
Individual Assignment
“To what extent does cyber conflict represent a revolutionary change in
global affairs?”
Student number: S3340724
MSc. Crisis and Security Management
Leiden University
Dr. Isabella Brunner & DPhil Julia Carver
September 25, 2025
Wordcount: 1451
1
, Introduction
The role of cyberspace has grown significantly within global affairs. Incidents such as the
DDos attacks against Estonia in 2007 and the Stuxnet incident in Iran 2010 have made it clear
that digital means are being used not only for espionage or sabotage but can also lead to
strategic consequences. This has led to an academic debate on the significance of cyber
conflict. Some authors claim that we are witnessing a revolutionary change in the way states
exercise power, others argue the continuity within existing forms of espionage and
propaganda.
The central question that this literature review is guiding is therefore: “According to the
academic literature, to what extent does cyber conflict represent a revolutionary change in
global affairs?”. This literature review examines three central themes: power shifts,
sovereignty and regulation.
Power shifts
A central debate in the literature concerns whether cyberspace shifts the balance of power in
global affairs. The narrative that is dominating holds that digital technologies provide weaker
states, non-state actors and even individuals with new means to compete with traditional
superpowers. This approach emphasizes the asymmetric nature of cyberattacks. It shows low
barriers to entry; the possibility of anonymous operations and even global reach is supposedly
enabling actors to inflict great damage. Gartzke (2013) argues that cyber capabilities often
benefit existing powers because they can combine cyber resources with diplomatic, economic
and military leverage (pp. 64-65). However, Maness and Valeriano (2016) show that the
severity of cyber incidents remains minimal, and most are limited to disruption or espionage,
without it escalating to a full-scale war. Large scale escalations remain rare, and they find that
DDoS attacks temporarily blur relationships between states (p. 302).
In connection with this argues Rid (2011) that cyberwar as a category is mostly misleading.
Most digital attacks fit better within sabotage, espionage, subversion and thus fall within
exercise of power (pp. 6, 15). Gartzke (2013) argues that the effectiveness of cyber operations
increases when the balance of power already favors the attacker. For example, the Stuxnet
incident. This cyber-attack does not cause a ‘revolution’, but rather deepens existing power
symmetries (p. 65)
2
Cyber Conflict in International Relations
Individual Assignment
“To what extent does cyber conflict represent a revolutionary change in
global affairs?”
Student number: S3340724
MSc. Crisis and Security Management
Leiden University
Dr. Isabella Brunner & DPhil Julia Carver
September 25, 2025
Wordcount: 1451
1
, Introduction
The role of cyberspace has grown significantly within global affairs. Incidents such as the
DDos attacks against Estonia in 2007 and the Stuxnet incident in Iran 2010 have made it clear
that digital means are being used not only for espionage or sabotage but can also lead to
strategic consequences. This has led to an academic debate on the significance of cyber
conflict. Some authors claim that we are witnessing a revolutionary change in the way states
exercise power, others argue the continuity within existing forms of espionage and
propaganda.
The central question that this literature review is guiding is therefore: “According to the
academic literature, to what extent does cyber conflict represent a revolutionary change in
global affairs?”. This literature review examines three central themes: power shifts,
sovereignty and regulation.
Power shifts
A central debate in the literature concerns whether cyberspace shifts the balance of power in
global affairs. The narrative that is dominating holds that digital technologies provide weaker
states, non-state actors and even individuals with new means to compete with traditional
superpowers. This approach emphasizes the asymmetric nature of cyberattacks. It shows low
barriers to entry; the possibility of anonymous operations and even global reach is supposedly
enabling actors to inflict great damage. Gartzke (2013) argues that cyber capabilities often
benefit existing powers because they can combine cyber resources with diplomatic, economic
and military leverage (pp. 64-65). However, Maness and Valeriano (2016) show that the
severity of cyber incidents remains minimal, and most are limited to disruption or espionage,
without it escalating to a full-scale war. Large scale escalations remain rare, and they find that
DDoS attacks temporarily blur relationships between states (p. 302).
In connection with this argues Rid (2011) that cyberwar as a category is mostly misleading.
Most digital attacks fit better within sabotage, espionage, subversion and thus fall within
exercise of power (pp. 6, 15). Gartzke (2013) argues that the effectiveness of cyber operations
increases when the balance of power already favors the attacker. For example, the Stuxnet
incident. This cyber-attack does not cause a ‘revolution’, but rather deepens existing power
symmetries (p. 65)
2
