GLOBAL INTERNET AND GLOBAL SECURITY.

• Author: Badiei, Farzaneh

INTRODUCTION

A global Internet that allows movement of people's information through communications in a borderless fashion and without regard to nationality, creed, and gender does not accord with the border system, physical movement and national security agendas. Over the years, states have been trying to align the Internet with their laws and and regulations, which some refer to as asserting digital sovereignty while others call it "alignment." (1) Provision of some services globally on the Internet has faced so-called alignment issues. However, regulators and state actors are yet to come up with a visa system akin to that of the physical world, one that would allow only communication, interaction, and service reception between ordinary people across state borders through an online visa system.

The global Internet is in danger. Yet while the danger might not be imminent, it is being shown to be gradual. We are witnessing an unfortunate shift in narrative of how a global Internet is good for society in general. The global Internet used to be defended and supported by democratic countries. (2) But over the years, and especially more recently, the global Internet has been framed as bad for both national and global security, with various reasons invoked, foremost among them that the Internet remains in the hands of the private sector and in particular giant technology companies. (3) However, these same scholars themselves acknowledge that it is very hard to even gauge the outcomes of cyber conflict in the world (4)--and, it should be added, on global security.

Despite the uncertainty about the impact of a global Internet on global security, over time analysts have arrived at the thesis that a global Internet and national security do not go together. (5) Early Internet centralization and a determinism to attribute a whole political movement, for example the Arab spring, (6) contributed to this flawed understanding. We are now seeing another kind of Internet determinism: analysts claiming that the global Internet contributes negatively to global security.

As we have forgotten how the global Internet aided many aspects of global governance and even upholding security, this essay aims to help restart the discourse about the possible positive impacts of the global Internet on the world. The positive impact of the global Internet has already been discussed from the human rights angle by senior policy analysts in 2022. (7) This piece begins with a brief analysis of the impact of a global Internet on global security, continues with a reminder of why the global Internet can still be good for global security, and concludes with a reassessment of the impact of the Internet on global security in a more balanced manner.

GLOBAL SECURITY AND GLOBAL INTERNET, DEFINED

Global security in the field of international relations is defined as the amalgamation of national security of different nation-states, which have upheld peace and refrained from and resolved internal and cross-border conflicts. Global security, however, is not just about combating terrorism, fighting wars, or eliminating violence. It is also a question of human security: "The pursuit of human security must have at its core the satisfaction of basic material needs of all humankind. At the most basic level, food, shelter, education and...