The US as a cyber superpower and the reluctance to establish Cyberspace International Legal Framework

Abstract

Acknowledging the security threats that prevail and continue to advance in the cyberspace, the US as a cyber superpower persists to safeguard the domain through operational, institutional, and ideological means. With the amount of power the US posseses in cyberspace they also have the interest and influence to legally regulate the domain to ensure its security. However, it seems that the US has not been showing any initiative to do so, to fill the void that has been a loophole exploited as open doors for cyber threats. While theoritically, establishment of cyberspace international legal framework can be addressed as a special responsibility that entails the US’ cyber superpower status. To answer this anomaly, this thesis applies the theory of great powers and responsibility to understand how establishment of cyberspace international legal framework have been formulated and assigned as a responsibility to the US as a cyber superpower. The analysis exposes how such measure of norm setting in global cyber governance have failed to be formulated and assigned to the US. Lack of moral imperative and normative embodiment that should otherwise be attached to the status of superpower leaves the US’ responsibility as a cyber superpower to be a mere embodiment of their interests. Instead, the US have chosen to resort to other means to show their responsibility as they find it to be more benefitting than establishing cyberspace international norms could be.