The Resurgence of the State: Trends and Processes in Cyberspace Governance

The transnational architecture of global information networks has made territorial borders less significant. Boundaries between spaces are becoming blurred in the evolving information age. But do information and communication technologies networks really lead to a weakening of the nation-state? This volume revisits the 'retreat of the state' thesis and tests its validity in the 21st century. It considers cyberspace as a matter of collective and policy choice, prone to usurpation by governance structures. Governments around the world are already reacting to the information revolution and trying to re-establish their leading role in creating governance regimes for the Information Age. The volume comes at a historical moment when new political dynamics are detected and new conceptual models are sought to categorize the attempts to deal with global/transnational issues. It will intrigue the reader with expert-level analysis of the role of the state in the emerging global/supranational governance structures by providing historical context and conceptualizing trends and social dynamics.

Myriam Dunn is Senior Research Fellow in the Center for Security Studies, ETH Zurich, Switzerland. Sai Felicia Krishna-Hensel is Director of the Interdisciplinary Global Studies Research Initiative, Center for Business and Economic Development, Auburn University at Montgomery, USA. Victor Mauer is Head of Research at the Center for Security Studies, ETH Zurich, Switzerland.