Cyber Capacity Building: Bridging the Internet Governance Divide

To ensure that the developing world connects to cyberspace in a sustainable and secure way, cyber capacity building is rising on the international agenda. Countries like the Netherlands are involved in multiple cyber capacity building initiatives and more developing states are requesting their help. While on the one hand cyber capacity building is welcomed as a ‘neutral’ sustainable development goal, on the other hand scholars raise concerns about the political influence that donor states potentially have on recipient states. When examining the politics of cyberspace that the developing states are entering, the concerns can be justified. For the purpose of validating these concerns, the thesis aims to investigate Dutch cyber capacity building in a case-study. By investigating Dutch political objectives in cyberspace, it is attempted to evaluate the political neutrality of the cyber capacity building initiatives. The thesis finds that the concerns are valid. In the attempt to broaden...Show moreTo ensure that the developing world connects to cyberspace in a sustainable and secure way, cyber capacity building is rising on the international agenda. Countries like the Netherlands are involved in multiple cyber capacity building initiatives and more developing states are requesting their help. While on the one hand cyber capacity building is welcomed as a ‘neutral’ sustainable development goal, on the other hand scholars raise concerns about the political influence that donor states potentially have on recipient states. When examining the politics of cyberspace that the developing states are entering, the concerns can be justified. For the purpose of validating these concerns, the thesis aims to investigate Dutch cyber capacity building in a case-study. By investigating Dutch political objectives in cyberspace, it is attempted to evaluate the political neutrality of the cyber capacity building initiatives. The thesis finds that the concerns are valid. In the attempt to broaden the coalition of like-minded states, Dutch cyber capacity building promotes Dutch values like human rights and limited government involvement through the promotion of multi-stakeholder internet governance. This implies that recipient states should be aware of the possibility of persuasion by the donor states. Furthermore, more research in the political implications of cyber capacity building is suggested. In the case of Dutch cyber capacity building, more research is needed in the actual effects of the promotion of multi-stakeholderism to assess if this mechanism is successfully deployed as an instrument for foreign policy.Show less

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Cyber Capacity Building: Bridging the Internet Governance Divide