https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/141472 Wed, 08 Apr 2026 16:23:22 GMT 2026-04-08T16:23:22Z https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/165055 Policy Analytics for Cybersecurity of Cyber-Physical Systems Choucri, Nazli Mounting concerns about safety and security have resulted in an intricate ecosystem system of guidelines, compliance measures, directives and policy reports for cybersecurity of all critical infrastructure. The policy paradox is that the text form of policy documents is an impediment to the implementation of policies and directives and creates potentially powerful opportunity costs. As a general practice, guidelines, directives and policy documents are presented in text form, page-by-page and word-by-word all supported by figures, diagrams and tables as needed. By definition text obscures properties of both policy and system-target in terms of dynamic relationships, feedback, “drill-down”, leads and lags, and so forth. The challenge is to develop analytics for cybersecurity policy of cyber physical systems. We begin with constructing (a) a structured system model of the system, in order to (b) identify major policydefined system-wide parameters, (c) situate system vulnerabilities, (d) map security requirements to security objectives, and (e) advance research on how system properties respond to diverse policy controls for security of cyber physical systems. This Project addresses the hard problem of policy-governed secure collaboration related to cyberphysical security of critical infrastructure (focusing on a generic and fundamental feature, namely smart grid of electric power systems). The purpose is to (a) reduce, if not eliminate barriers to full understanding of policy text as transmitted by the source, (b) explore system-wide or targeted implications, (c) help contextualize generic directives for specific applications, and (d) facilitate contingency analysis, as needed. This Compilation is based on the Quarterly Research Reports submitted by MIT to the Cyber- Physical Systems Organization of Vanderbilt University. The Compilation is the first of several Reports highlighting the research process and products of the MIT Project on Policy Analytics for Cybersecurity of Cyber-Physical Systems. Gaurav Agarwal [a.k.a. Gaurav], MIT alumnus, served as Lead Researcher for the Proof-of-Concept case presented here. Tue, 08 Oct 2024 00:00:00 GMT https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/165055 2024-10-08T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/146917 Policy Analytics for Cybersecurity of Cyber-Physical Systems Choucri, Nazli; Agarwal, Gaurav Cyber-physical systems (CPS) are embedded in an increasingly complex ecosystem of cybersecurity policies, guidelines, and compliance measures designed to support all aspects of operation during all phases of system’s life cycle. By definition, such guidelines and policies are written in linear and sequential text form—word after word—often with different directives parts presented in different documents. This situation makes it difficult to integrate or understand policy-technology-security interactions. As a result, it also impedes effective risk assessment. Individually or collectively, these features inevitably undermine initiatives for cybersecurity. Missing are fundamental policy analytics to support CPS cybersecurity and facilitate policy implementation. This project is designed to develop a set of text-to-analytics methods and tools—for policy directives and for CPS properties—and provide a “proof of concept” focused on the smart grid of electric power systems. Wed, 14 Dec 2022 00:00:00 GMT https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/146917 2022-12-14T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/146916 Analytics for Cybersecurity Policy of Cyber-Physical Systems Choucri, Nazli; Agarwal, Gaurav Guidelines, directives, and policy statements are usually presented in “linear” text form—word after word, page after page. However necessary, this practice impedes full understanding, obscures feedback dynamics, hides mutual dependencies and cascading effects and the like—even when augmented with tables and diagrams. The net result is often a checklist response as an end in itself. All this creates barriers to intended realization of guidelines and undermines potential effectiveness. We present a solution strategy using text as “data”, transforming text into a structured model, and generate network views of the text(s), that we then can use for vulnerability mapping, risk assessments, and control point analysis. For proof of concept, we draw on NIST conceptual model and analysis of guidelines for smart grid cybersecurity, more than 600 pages of text. Mon, 14 Nov 2022 00:00:00 GMT https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/146916 2022-11-14T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/146915 Ethics in Artificial Intelligence: Toward Foundations for Global Policy Choucri, Nazli Matters of ethics are becoming more salient at all levels of politics, almost everywhere. In the scientific community, ethics in AI is increasingly gaining attention. The fact is that the rate of change in AI innovations and applications are growing much faster than our general appreciation or understanding of content or of consequences. There is a large variety of statements, but few ethical practices by countries, corporations, and individuals that are desirable in the ethics domain for the broad area of Artificial intelligence. Occurring far less frequently—if at all—are the operational applications of ethics codes in the innovation, practice, and policy of AI. To date, the focus of attention is on scientific and technical advances, as well as enhanced computational advances. Wed, 21 Dec 2022 00:00:00 GMT https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/146915 2022-12-21T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/144159 Cyberspace Operations Functional Capability Reference Architecture from Document Text Moulton, Allen; Madnick, Stuart. E.; Choucri, Nazli The COMET project applies structured text analysis, semantic similarity and ontology learning theory, along with NLP to investigate automated and semi-automated methods for extracting knowledge from text policy documents and transforming that knowledge into a structured form for use in a Functional Capability Reference Architecture (FCRA) for cyberspace operations. Progress and results are reported. Cyber-physical systems are increasingly significant to modern life. In the military, the advent of net-centric systems means that virtually all operations critically depend on computers and networks (Williams, 2014). The operation of the electric power grid is moving in the same direction (GAO, 2019) as are most other industries. As Choucri and Clark (2019) document, cyberspace has also become increasingly intertwined in international politics. To make cyber- physical systems more effective and to protect from threats that put critical services at risk, organizations rely on policy documents which are written from different perspectives often using different terminology. In many cases, terminology is metaphorical such as maneuver, attack and defense, which draw on analogies to concepts from physical domain military operations. A FCRA will support knowledge transfer across different subject areas and organizations by harmonizing and clarifying concepts (Cloutier et al., 2010). Tue, 01 Sep 2020 00:00:00 GMT https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/144159 2020-09-01T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/144065 Social Contract for the AI Age Dukakis, Michael; Vīķe-Freiberga, Vaira; Cerf, Vint; Choucri, Nazli; Lagumdzija, Zlatko; Nguyen, Tuan Anh; Patterson, Thomas; Pentland, Alex; Rotenberg, Marc; Silbersweig, David Just as earlier social contracts helped shape societies for a common purpose, the Social Contract for the AI Age has a transformative vision, one that transcends the technological features of artificial intelligence and seeks to provide foundations for a new society. Consider, for example, how the Covid-19 pandemic urgently requires a new society with new structure and order, approach — new ways to share data and coordinate action, accelerated social reliance on digital service across businesses, education, and government services. The Social Contract for the AI Age would create standards for a new international system. It focuses on the conduct of each nation, relations with international business and not for profit entities, and the cooperation of nations. Just as TCP / IP is the platform for communication among internet users, the Social Contract for AI Age is a platform for connection among governments, stakeholders, and private and public institutions. Wed, 09 Sep 2020 00:00:00 GMT https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/144065 2020-09-09T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/144064 The concept of AI-government: Core concepts for the design of AI-government Dukakis, Michael; Tuan, Nguyen Anh; Choucri, Nazli; Patterson, Thomas E-Government is the use of communication and information technology for improving the performance of public sector agencies. AI-Government transcends E-Government by applying AI to assist decision making for all critical public sector functions – notably provision of public services, performance of civic functions, and evaluation of public officials. At the core of AI- Government is the National Decision making and Data Center (NDMD). NDMD collects, stores, analyzes, and applies massive amounts of data relevant to the provision of public services and the evaluation of public programs and officials. It does not replace governance by humans or human decisional processes but guides and informs them, while providing an objective basis for service provision and evaluation. Mon, 25 Jun 2018 00:00:00 GMT https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/144064 2018-06-25T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/144063 The AIWS 7-Layer Model to Build Next Generation Democracy Dukakis, Michael; Choucri, Nazli; Cytryn, Allan; Jones, Alex; Nguyen, Tuan Anh; Patterson, Thomas; Reveron, Derek; Silbersweig, David The Artificial Intelligence World Society (AIWS) is a set of values, ideas, concepts and protocols for standards and norms whose goal is to advance the peaceful development of AI to improve the quality of life for all humanity. It was conceived by the Michael Dukakis Institute for Leadership and Innovation (MDI) and established on November 22, 2017. The World Leadership Alliance – Club de Madrid (WLA-CdM) and the Boston Global Forum (BGF) are partnered with the MDI to collaborate and develop the AIWS initiative. The President of WLA-CdM, Vaira Vike-Freiberga, serves as co-chair of AIWS activities and conferences along with Governor Michael Dukakis. The Next Generation Democracy (NGD) is an initiative founded by WLA-CdM with the goal of “enabling democracy to meet the expectations and needs of all citizens and preserve their freedom and dignity while securing a sustainable future.” NGD is a collaboration and forum, coordinated by WLA-CdM. AIWS has partnered with WLA-CdM to promote the development of AI to support the Next Generation Democracy initiative. To align the development of AI with the NGD initiative, the AIWS has developed the AIWS 7-Layer Model. This model establishes a set of responsible norms and best practices for the development, management, and uses of AI so that this technology is safe, humanistic and beneficial to society. In developing the 7-Layer Model, the AIWS recognizes that we live in a chaotic world with differing, and sometimes conflicting, goals, values and concepts of norms. Hence, the Model is aspirational and even idealistic. Nonetheless, it provides a baseline for guiding AI development to ensure positive outcomes and to reduce the risks of pervasive and realistic risks and the related harms that AI could pose to humanity. The Model is based on the assumption that humans ultimately accountable for the develop0ment and use of AI, and must therefore preserve that accountability. Hence, it stresses transparency of AI reasoning, applications, and decision making, which will lead to auditability and validation of the uses of AI systems. Thu, 26 Apr 2018 00:00:00 GMT https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/144063 2018-04-26T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/144062 Institutions for Cyber Security: International Responses and Data Sharing Initiatives Choucri, Nazli; Madnick, Stuart E; Koepke, P. Almost everyone recognizes the salience of cyberspace as a fact of daily life. Given its ubiquity, scale, and scope, cyberspace has become a fundamental feature of the world we live in and has created a new reality for almost everyone in the developed world and increasingly for people in in the developing world. This paper seeks to provide an initial baseline, for representing and tracking institutional responses to a rapidly changing international landscape, real as well as virtual. We shall argue that the current institutional landscape managing security issues in the cyber domain has developed in major ways, but that it is still “under construction.” We also expect institutions for cyber security to support and reinforce the contributions of information technology to the development process. We begin with (a) highlights of international institutional theory and an empirical “census” of the institutions-in-place for cyber security, and then turn to (b) key imperatives of information technology-development linkages and the various cyber processes that enhance developmental processes, (c) major institutional responses to cyber threats and cybercrime as well select international and national policy postures and so critical for industrial countries and increasingly for developing states as well, and (d) the salience of new mechanisms designed specifically in response to cyber threats. This is update and expansion of a paper that has been published in the Information Technology for Development, 2013, available online at: http://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/02681102.2013.836699#.Unfi8eKiJO8. DOI: 10.1080/02681102.2013.836699 Tue, 01 Aug 2017 00:00:00 GMT https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/144062 2017-08-01T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/141777 Lost in cyberspace: Harnessing the Internet, international relations, and global security Choucri, Nazli; Goldsmith, Daniel Early in the twenty-first century, new, cyber-based threats to the well-being of individuals, economies, and societies added a new dimension to the well-understood threats of the twentieth century. For the first time in human history, advances in information and communications technologies are potentially accessible to much of the world’s population. These Internet based advances allow almost anyone to disseminate messages, meaning that a wide range of actors, state and nonstate, have the potential to disrupt networks and commerce with relatively little fear of discovery. In cyberspace, it is hard to know with certainty what is behind a particular action—and actions in one place can have effects around the world. A powerful example of how advances in cyberspace have changed the national security environment is the deployment of Stuxnet, a complex piece of malicious software that reportedly damaged the uranium enrichment facilities of Iran’s nuclear program (Broad and Sanger, 2010). Both Israel and the United States have been blamed as creators of the virus, but in part because of the nature of cyberspace, the origin of the software remains in dispute.1 Another apparent case of international relations conducted in cyberspace were the 2007 cyber attacks that overwhelmed the websites of prominent Estonian organizations, including public-sector agencies, banks, and media firms. Some Estonian officials blamed Russia for the attacks, but responsibility was never proved. Similarly, in 2010 Google announced that it and a variety of high-tech, security, and defense firms had been targeted in an attempt, apparently originating in China, to gain access to and steal valuable digitized information. The episode resulted in a temporary shutdown of Google’s China site. Thu, 01 Mar 2012 00:00:00 GMT https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/141777 2012-03-01T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/141774 Cyber international relations as an integrated system Vaishnav, Chintan; Choucri, Nazli; Clark, David D International Relations (IR) – whether in pursuit of wealth or power – have been traditionally predicated upon the dominance of the State and the effectiveness of geographical boundaries. The Internet has shattered these assumptions. Consequently, the properties of information goods such as information security, control, or freedom, or those of international activities such as trade, or diplomacy must be framed in the context of emergent behaviors of a system where the Cyberspace interacts with traditional IR. The purpose of this paper is to conceptualize the hitherto separate domains of Cyberspace and International Relations into an integrated socio-technical system that we jointly call Cyber International Relations (Cyber-IR) System, and to identify and analyze its emergent properties utilizing the methods of engineering systems. Our work is an exploration in both theory and methodology. We begin by identifying important actors in Cyberspace and IR, and the core functions they perform for their respective systems. In doing so, we disambiguate important questions of system boundary. We then create a domain structure matrix (DSM) of the interdependencies among the core functions of the various actors. This method enables us to integrate the domains of Cyberspace and IR that we then examine in two ways. First, we qualitatively analyze DSM to show how Cyber-IR is characterized by the activities of multiple actors who are interdependent in various ways, and who are highly heterogeneous in their roles and capabilities. Second, we perform quantitative analysis using several matrix-based techniques to illustrate and verify how certain core functions are more important than others, and why attributes such as geographical location, economic status, etc., of the actor shape their influence in Cyber- IR. This work forms a baseline for further understanding of the nature of the heterogeneous influences of the various actors, and the various outcomes that could result from it. Mon, 18 Jun 2012 00:00:00 GMT https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/141774 2012-06-18T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/141773 Experiences and challenges with using CERT data to analyze international cyber security. Madnick, Stuart E.; Li, Xitong; Choucri, Nazli With the increasing interconnection of computer networks and sophistication of cyber attacks, it is important to understand the dynamics of such situations, especially in regards to cyber international relations. The Explorations in Cyber International Relations (ECIR) Data Dashboard Project is an initiative to gather worldwide cybersecurity data publicly provided by nation-level Computer Emergency Response Teams (CERTs) and to provide a set of tools to analyze the cybersecurity data. The unique contributions of this paper are: (1) an evaluation of the current state of the diverse nation-level CERT cybersecurity data sources, (2) a description of the Data Dashboard tool developed and some interesting analyses from using our tool, and (3) a summary of some challenges with the CERT data availability and usability uncovered in our research. Tue, 01 Sep 2009 00:00:00 GMT https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/141773 2009-09-01T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/141769 Cyber international relations as an integrated system Vaishnav, Chintan; Choucri, Nazli; Clark, David D The purpose of this paper is to conceptualize the hitherto separate domains of Cyberspace and Interna- tional Relations into an integrated socio-technical system that we jointly call the cyber International Relations (Cyber-IR) system and to identify and analyze its emergent properties utilizing the methods common to science and engineering systems adapted here for the social sciences. Our work is an exploration in both theory and methodol- ogy. This paper (a) identifies the actors and functions in the core systems, Cyberspace, and IR, (b) disambiguates sys- tem boundary, (c) creates a design structure matrix (DSM), a matrix of the interdependencies among functions of actors, (d) analyzes DSM qualitatively to show multiple interdependent and heterogeneous Cyber-IR properties, and (e) analyzes quantitatively the differential importance of core functions as well as the impact of actor attributes on influence in Cyber-IR. This work forms a baseline for further understanding of the nature of the heterogeneous influences of the various actors and the various outcomes that could result from it. Fri, 17 Nov 2017 00:00:00 GMT https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/141769 2017-11-17T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/141768 Institutions for cyber security: International responses and global imperatives Choucri, Nazli; Madnick, Stuart E.; Ferwerda, Jeremy Almost everyone recognizes the salience of cyberspace as a fact of daily life. Given its ubiquity, scale, and scope, cyberspace has become a fundamental feature of the world we live in and has created a new reality for almost everyone in the developed world and increasingly for people in the developing world. This paper seeks to provide an initial baseline, for representing and tracking institutional responses to a rapidly changing international landscape, real as well as virtual. We shall argue that the current institutional landscape managing security issues in the cyber domain has developed in major ways, but that it is still “under construction.” We also expect institutions for cyber security to support and reinforce the contributions of information technology to the development process. We begin with (a) highlights of international institutional theory and an empirical “census” of the institutions-in-place for cyber security, and then turn to (b) key imperatives of information technology-development linkages and the various cyber processes that enhance developmental processes, (c) major institutional responses to cyber threats and cyber crime as well as select international and national policy postures so critical for industrial countries and increasingly for developing states as well, and (d) the salience of new mechanisms designed specifically in response to cyber threats. Tue, 22 Oct 2013 00:00:00 GMT https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/141768 2013-10-22T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/141765 What is cybersecurity? Explorations in automated knowledge generation Choucri, Nazli; Elbait, Gihan Daw; Madnick, Stuart E. This paper addresses a serious impediment to theory and policy for cybersecurity: Trivial as it might appear on the surface, there is no agreed upon understanding of the issue, no formal definition, and not even a consensus on the mere spelling of the terms –– so that efforts to develop policies and postures, or capture relevant knowledge are seriously hampered. In this context, we present a “proof of concept” for a new research strategy based on a close examination of a large corpus of scholarly knowledge, and the extent to which it enables us to generate new knowledge about cybersecurity of relevance to international relations and to national security relevant to the nation’s security and to international relations. Given the new cyber realities, this paper is also a “proof” of how to create new knowledge through automated investigations of the record to date. Tue, 06 Nov 2012 00:00:00 GMT https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/141765 2012-11-06T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/141758 Perspectives on cybersecurity: A collaborative study Choucri, Nazli; Jackson, Chrisma 1. Cybersecurity – Problems, Premises, Perspectives 2 An Abbreviated Technical Perspective on Cybersecurity 3 The Conceptual Underpinning of Cyber Security Studies 4 Cyberspace as the Domain of Content 5 DoD Perspective on Cyberspace 6 China’s Perspective on Cyber Security 7 Pursuing Deterrence Internationally in Cyberspace 8 Is Deterrence Possible in Cyber Warfare? 9 A Theoretical Framework for Analyzing Interactions between Contemporary Transnational Activism and Digital Communication Thu, 01 Jan 2015 00:00:00 GMT https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/141758 2015-01-01T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/141757 Integrating cyberspace and international relations: The co-evolution dilemma Choucri, Nazli; Clark, David D Cyberspace is a fact of daily life. Until recently cyberspace was considered largely a matter of low politics – the term used to denote background conditions and routine decisions and processes. By contrast high politics is about national security, core institutions, and decision systems that are critical to the state, its interests, and its underlying values. We now see cyberspace shaping the domain of high politics, and high politics shaping the future of cyberspace. The field of international relations, rooted in 20th century issues and theories, has not kept pace with the emerging significance of cyberspace. This paper addresses what we call the co-evolution dilemma: as cyberspace and international politics now start to shape each other, we have few conceptual anchors to fully identify, let alone model, the potential collision of law, policy and practice in the cyber arena with shared norms, common practices, and modes of interactions in international relations that have evolved over time. At a minimum, we need to develop a map of the joint domain of cyberspace and international relations. Our purpose here is to (1) develop an alignment strategy to connect the Internet, the core of cyberspace, and international relations (2) introduce the control point analysis, a method we have developed to explicate dynamics among cyber-actors, in terms of their relative power and influence, and (3) highlight critical co-evolution parameters embedded in the fabric of world politics. Tue, 06 Nov 2012 00:00:00 GMT https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/141757 2012-11-06T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/141755 Resilient mechanism design foundations for governance of cyberspace: Exploration in theory, strategy, and policy Micali, Silvio; Choucri, Nazli; Chen, Jing; Williams, Cindy Three related trends in world politics – shifting in power relations, increased diversity of actors and entities, and the growing mobilization and politicization of global constituencies are contributing to a global “tussle” which threatens to erupt in a full-fledged international confrontation. Such contests may well reinforce the potentially powerful cleavages, such as those that became evident before, during, and after the World Conference on Information Technology, WCIT-2012. If present trends continue, it is unlikely that WCIT-2013 will reduce the cleavages and resolve the contentions. We would like to thank Professor Lucas Stanczyk, Department of Political Science, MIT, for comments on an earlier version. Sun, 01 Sep 2013 00:00:00 GMT https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/141755 2013-09-01T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/141754 Exploring terms and taxonomies relating to the cyber international relations research field: Or are "cyberspace" and "cyber space" the same? Camiña, Steven; Madnick, Stuart E.; Choucri, Nazli; Woon, Wei Lee This project has at least two facets to it: (1) advancing the algorithms in the sub-field of bibliometrics often referred to as "text mining" whereby hundreds of thousands of documents (such as journal articles) are scanned and relationships amongst words and phrases are established and (2) applying these tools in support of the Explorations in Cyber International Relations (ECIR) research effort. In international relations, it is important that all the parties understand each other. Although dictionaries, glossaries, and other sources tell you what words/phrases are supposed to mean (somewhat complicated by the fact that they often contradict each other), they do not tell you how people are actually using them. As an example, when we started, we assumed that "cyberspace" and "cyber space" were essentially the same word with just a minor variation in punctuation (i.e., the space, or lack thereof, between "cyber" and "space") and that the choice of the punctuation was a rather random occurrence. With that assumption in mind, we would expect that the taxonomies that would be constructed by our algorithms using "cyberspace" and "cyber space" as seed terms would be basically the same. As it turned out, they were quite different, both in overall shape and groupings within the taxonomy. Since the overall field of cyber international relations is so new, understanding the field and how people think about (as evidenced by their actual usage of terminology, and how usage changes over time) is an important goal as part of the overall ECIR project. Mon, 01 Aug 2011 00:00:00 GMT https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/141754 2011-08-01T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/141753 The dynamics of undersea cables: Emerging opportunities and pitfalls Sechrist, Michael; Vaishnav, Chintan; Goldsmith, Daniel; Choucri, Nazli Cyberspace is built on physical foundations that support the “virtual” manifestations we know of and use in everyday computing. Physical infrastructure can include wired, fiber optic, satellite and microwave links, as well as routing equipment. An often overlooked but critical part of the Internet infrastructure is undersea communication cable links. Undersea cables are the technology of choice to move large amounts of data around the world quickly. In the U.S., approximately 95% of all international Internet and phone traffic travel via undersea cables. Nearly all government traffic, including sensitive diplomatic and military orders, travels these cables to reach officials in the field. The problem, however, is that the undersea cable infrastructure is susceptible to several types of vulnerability, including: rising capacity constraints, increased exposure to disruption from both natural and mad-made sources, and emerging security risks from cable concentration in dense geographical networks (such as New York and New Jersey, and places like Egypt/Suez Canal.) Moreover, even under normal working conditions, there is a concern whether governance-as-usual can keep up with the future growth of Internet traffic. In this paper, we explore the impact of these problems on the dynamics of managing undersea cable infrastructure. Thu, 26 Jul 2012 00:00:00 GMT https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/141753 2012-07-26T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/141752 Comparative analysis of cybersecurity metrics to develop new hypotheses Madnick, Stuart E.; Choucri, Nazli; Li, Xitong; Ferwerda, Jeremy Few Internet security organizations provide comprehensive, detailed, and reliable quantitative metrics, especially in the international perspective across multiple countries, multiple years, and multiple categories. As common refrain to justify this situation, organizations ask why they should spend valuable time and resources collecting and standardizing data. This report aims to provide an encouraging answer to this question by demonstrating the value that even limited metrics can provide in a comparative perspective. We present some findings generated through the use of a research tool, the Explorations in Cyber Internet Relations (ECIR) Data Dashboard. In essence, this dashboard consists of a simple graphing and analysis tool, coupled with a database consisting of data from disparate national-level cyber data sources provided by governments, Computer Emergency Response Teams (CERTs), and international organizations. Users of the dashboard can select relevant security variables, compare various countries, and scale information as needed. In this paper, using this tool, we present an example of observations concerning the fight against cybercrime, along with several hypotheses attempting to explain the findings. We believe that these preliminary results suggest valuable ways in which such data could be used and we hope this research will help provide the incentives for organizations to increase the quality and quantity of standardized quantitative data available. Tue, 01 Nov 2011 00:00:00 GMT https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/141752 2011-11-01T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/141751 Towards better understanding cybersecurity: Or are "cyberspace" and "cyber space" the same? Madnick, Stuart E.; Camiña, Steven; Choucri, Nazli; Woon, Wei Lee Although there are many technology challenges and approaches to attaining cybersecurity, human actions (or inactions) also often pose large risks. There are many reasons, but one problem is whether we all “see the world” the same way. That is, what does “cybersecurity” actually mean – as well as the many related concepts, such as “cyberthreat,” “cybercrime,” etc. Although dictionaries, glossaries, and other sources tell you what words/phrases are supposed to mean (somewhat complicated by the fact that they often contradict each other), they do not tell you how people are actually using them. If we are to have an effective solution, it is important that all the parties understand each other – or, at least, understand that there are different perspectives. For the purpose of this poster and to demonstrate our methodology, we consider the case of the words, “cyberspace” and “cyber space.” We had developed techniques and algorithms for the automated generation of taxonomies for chosen “seed terms” (such as “cyberspace” and “cyber space”) based on the co-occurrence of those words in the list of keywords of documents in large document repositories, such as Compendex and Inspec. The system that we had developed and used in this experiment employed the Heymann algorithm, closeness centrality, cosine similarity metric (which we refer to as H-CC). When we started, we assumed that “cyberspace” and “cyber space” were essentially the same word with just a minor variation in punctuation (i.e., the space, or lack thereof, between “cyber” and “space”) and that the choice of the punctuation was a rather random occurrence. With that assumption in mind, we would expect that the usage of these words would be basically the same and would produce roughly similar taxonomies. As it turned out, the taxonomies generated were quite different, both in overall shape and groupings within the taxonomy. Since the overall field of cybersecurity is so new, understanding the field and how people think about it (as evidenced by their actual usage of terminology, and how usage changes over time) is an important goal. Our approach helps to illuminate these understandings. Sat, 15 Dec 2012 00:00:00 GMT https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/141751 2012-12-15T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/141750 Explorations in cyber international relations (ECIR)—data dashboard report #1: CERT data sources and prototype dashboard system Madnick, Stuart E.; Choucri, Nazli; Camiña, Steven; Fogg, Erik; Li, Xitong; Woon, Wei Lee Growing global interconnection and interdependency of computer networks, in combination with increased sophistication of cyber attacks over time, demonstrate the need for better understanding of the collective and cooperative security measures needed to prevent and respond to cybersecurity emergencies. The Exploring Cyber International Relations (ECIR) Data Dashboard project is an initial effort to gather and analyze such data within and between countries. This report describes the prototype ECIR Data Dashboard and the initial data sources used. In 1988, the United States Department of Defense and Carnegie Mellon University formed the Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT) to lead and coordinate national and international efforts to combat cybsersecurity threats. Since then, the number of CERTs worldwide has grown dramatically, leading to the potential for a sophisticated and coordinated global cybersecurity response network. This report focuses primarily on the current state of the worldwide CERTs, including the data publicly available, the extent of coordination, and the maturity of data management and responses. The report summarizes, analyses, and critiques the worldwide CERT network. Additionally, the report describes the ECIR team's Data Dashboard project, designed to provide scholars, policymakers, IT professionals, and other stakeholders with a comprehensive set of data on national-level cybersecurity, information technology, and demographic data. The Dashboard allows these stakeholders to observe chronological trends and multivariate correlations that can lead to insight into the current state, potential future trends, and approximate causes of global cybersecurity issues. This report summarizes the purpose, state, progress, and challenges of developing the Data Dashboard project. Disclaimer: This report relies on publicly available information, especially from the CERTs’ pubic web sites. They have not yet been contacted to confirm our understanding of their data. That will be done in subsequent phases of this effort. Mon, 10 Aug 2009 00:00:00 GMT https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/141750 2009-08-10T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/141749 System dynamics modeling for pro-active intelligence Anderson, Ed; Choucri, Nazli; Goldsmith, Daniel; Madnick, Stuart E.; Siegel, Michael; Sturtevant, Dan The Pro-Active Intelligence (PAINT) program, sponsored by the Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity (IARPA), was formed to address the challenges1 posed by distributed human networks, including terrorists and insurgencies, both independent and state-sponsored. In particular, certain threats (including emerging dual-use technologies) are difficult to detect using traditional intelligence means because: (a) indicators are difficult to discern and may give little warning time, (b) there is usually limited relevant data collection and integration capability, and (c) expertise is generally diverse and disconnected. Over the course of 18 months from September 2007 to February 2009, an effort, led by researchers from MIT, was initiated to develop computational social science models to study and understand the dynamics of complex intelligence targets for nefarious technology activities (broadly defined as activities outside U.S. national interest). System dynamics models were developed because they offered great opportunities to (a) understand and represent determinants of nefarious technology development, (b) to identify aspects of critical pathways, such as resource management, towards the development of nefarious technologies, and (c) support a modeling based strategy for the identification of new sources of intelligence. This report describes the “System Dynamics Modeling for Pro-Active Intelligence” effort and its two thrusts: (a) development of a comprehensive holistic system dynamics model to represent, understand, and differentiate nefarious and benign activities and (b) the development of a detailed system dynamics resource model that can be used as a component of a multi-method federation of models. In both cases, simulations were conducted to illustrate the effectiveness of these models in demonstrating system behavior and, on occasion, highlighting potentially counter-intuitive behaviors. Final Report: Proactive Intelligence (PAINT) CONTRACT FA8750-07-C-0101 ISSUED BY AFRL/IFKE CODE FA8750 6. ADMINISTERED BY CODE N62879 USAF, AFMC AIR FORCE RESEARCH LABORATORY 26 ELECTRONIC PARKWAY ROME NY 13441-4514 Wed, 04 Nov 2009 00:00:00 GMT https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/141749 2009-11-04T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/141746 Cyber Acquisition: Policy Changes to Drive Innovation in Response to Accelerating Threats in Cyberspace Klemas, Thomas; Lively, Rebecca K.; Choucri, Nazli The United States of America faces great risk in the cyber domain because our adversaries are growing bolder, increasing in number, improving their capabilities, and doing so rapidly. Meanwhile, the associated technologies are evolving so quickly that progress to harden and secure this domain is ephemeral, as systems reach obsolescence in just a few years and revolutionary paradigm shifts, such as cloud computing and ubiquitous mobile devices, can pull the rug out from the best laid defensive planning by introducing entirely new regimes of operations. Contemplating these facts in the context of Department of Defense acquisitions is particularly sobering, because many cyber capabilities, bought within the traditional acquisition framework, may be of limited usefulness by the time that they are delivered to the warfighters. Thus, it is a strategic imperative to improve DoD acquisitions pertaining to cyber capabilities. This paper proposes novel ideas and a framework for addressing these challenges. Wed, 14 Nov 2018 00:00:00 GMT https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/141746 2018-11-14T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/141745 Accelerating Cyber Acquisitions: Introducing a Time-Driven Approach to Manage Risks with Less Delay Klemas, Thomas; Atkins, Sean; Lively, Rebecca K.; Choucri, Nazli The highly dynamic nature of the cyber domain demands that cyber operators are capable of rapidly evolving and adapting with exquisite timing. These forces, in turn, pressure acquisition specialists to accoutre cyber warfighters to keep pace with both cyber domain advancement and adversary progression. However, in the Department of Defense (DoD), a vigorous tug of war exists between time and risk pressures. Risk reduction is a crucial element of managing any complex enterprise and this is particularly true for the DoD and its acquisition program [1]. This risk aversion comes at significant cost, as obsolescence by risk minimization is a real phenomenon in DoD acquisition programs and significantly limits the adaptability of its operational cyber forces. Our previous research generated three recommendations for reforming policy to deliver performance at the “speed of relevance” [3]. In this paper we focus on one of the recommendations: “Manage rather than avoid risk—especially time-based risks”. While this advice can apply to many areas of human endeavor, it has elevated urgency in cyberspace. Incomplete risk metrics lead to overly conservative acquisition efforts that imperil timely procurement of advanced cyber capabilities and repel innovators. Effective cyber defense operations require acquisition risk models to be extended beyond fiscal and technical risk metrics of performance, to include risks associated with the cost of failing to meet immediate mission requirements. This paper proposes a time-shifting approach to simultaneously (a) accelerate capability delivery while maintaining traditional rigor, and (b) achieve optimal balance between fiscal, performance, and time risks. Fri, 01 Jan 2021 00:00:00 GMT https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/141745 2021-01-01T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/141744 CyberIR@MIT: Knowledge for Science, Policy, Practice Choucri, Nazli; Fairman, Lauren; Agarwal, Gaurav This paper presents a brief introduction to CyberIR@MIT—a dynamic, interactive knowledge and networking system focused on the evolving, diverse, and complex interconnections of cyberspace and international relations. The goal is to highlight key theoretical, substantive, empirical and networking issues. CyberIR@MIT is anchored in a multidimensional ontology. It was initially framed as an experiment during the MIT-Harvard collaboration on Explorations in Cyber International Relations (see ecir.mit.edu) to serve as a forum for quality-controlled content and materials generated throughout the research project. The method consists of differentiating among the various facets of human activity in (i) cyberspace, (ii) international relations, and (iii) the intersection of the cyber and “real.” It includes problems created by humans and solution strategies, as well as enabling functions and capabilities, on the one hand, and impediments to behavior and associated barriers, on the other. See https://cyberir.mit.edu for functions. The value of this initiative lies in its conceptual foundations and method of knowledge representation—embedded in an interactive system for knowledge submission, with search and retrieval functions. Sat, 09 Jul 2022 00:00:00 GMT https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/141744 2022-07-09T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/141743 Policy-Governed Secure Collaboration: Toward Analytics for Cybersecurity of Cyber- Physical Systems Choucri, Nazli; Agarwal, Gaurav; Koutsoukos, Xenofon Mounting concerns about safety and security have resulted in an intricate ecosystem of guidelines, compliance measures, directives and policy reports for cybersecurity of all critical infrastructure. By definition, such guidelines and policies are written in linear sequential text form that makes them difficult to integrate, or to understand the policy-technology-security interactions, thus limiting their relevance for science of security. We propose to develop text-to-analytics methods and tools focusing on CPS domains such as smart grids. Tue, 13 Mar 2018 00:00:00 GMT https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/141743 2018-03-13T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/141742 Complexity of International Law for Cyber Operations Choucri, Nazli; Agarwal, Gaurav Policy documents are usually written in text form—word after word, sentence after sentence, page after page, section after section, chapter after chapter—which often masks some of their most critical features. The text form cannot easily show interconnections among elements, identify the relative salience of issues, or represent feedback dynamics, for example. These are “hidden” features that are difficult to situate. This paper presents a computational analysis of Tallinn Manual 2.0 on the International Law Applicable to Cyber Operations, a seminal work in International Law. Tallinn Manual 2.0 is a seminal document for many reasons, including but not limited to, its (a) authoritative focus on cyber operations, (b) foundation in the fundamental legal principles of the international order and (c) direct relevance to theory, practice, and policy in international relations. The results identify the overwhelming dominance of specific Rules, the centrality of select Rules, the Rules with autonomous standing (that is, not connected to the rest of the corpus), and highlight different aspects of Tallinn Manual 2.0, notably situating authority, security of information -- the feedback structure that keeps the pieces together. This study serves as a “proof of concept” for the use of computational logics to enhance our understanding of policy documents. Sat, 09 Jul 2022 00:00:00 GMT https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/141742 2022-07-09T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/141741 Complexity of International Law for Cyber Operations Choucri, Nazli; Agarwal, Gaurav Policy documents are usually written in text form—word after word, sentence after sentence etc.— which often obscures some of their most critical features. Text cannot easily situate interconnections among elements, or identify feedback, nor reveal other embedded features. This paper presents a computational approach to International Law Applicable to Cyber Operations 2.0, Tallinn Manual, a seminal work of 600 pages at the intersection of law and cyberspace. The results identify the dominance of specific Rules, the centrality of select Rules, and Rules with autonomous standing, as well as the feedback structure that holds the system together. None of these features are evident from the text alone. Mon, 08 Nov 2021 00:00:00 GMT https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/141741 2021-11-08T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/141740 Securing the Long-Chain of Cyber-Physical Global Communication Infrastructure Choucri, Nazli; Agarwal, Gaurav Executive Order, May 2019 states: November 5, 2019 “...foreign adversaries are increasingly creating and exploiting vulnerabilities in information and communications technology and services ... in order to commit malicious cyber-enabled actions, including economic and industrial espionage against the United States and its people.” [1] This paper focuses on the challenges of securing the long chain of global communication infrastructure, presents some illustrative data, and puts forth a multi-method research design for analysis of long-chain systems of information and/or communications technology, infrastructure, services, ownership, providers, and networks -- within a state and outside its jurisdiction – all essential for unimpeded global operations. A proof of concept for data requirements to support end-to-end integrated research is provided, along with highlights of some initial empirical analysis, with China as a case in point. Tue, 05 Nov 2019 00:00:00 GMT https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/141740 2019-11-05T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/141739 The Theory of Lateral Pressure: Highlights of Quantification and Empirical Analysis Choucri, Nazli The term lateral pressure refers to any tendency (or propensity) of states, firms, and other entities to expand their activities and exert influence and control beyond their established boundaries, whether for economic, political, military, scientific, religious, or other purposes. Framed by Robert C. North and Nazli Choucri, the theory addresses the sources and consequences of such a tendency. This chapter presents the core features—assumptions, logic, core variables, and dynamics—and summarizes the quantitative work undertaken to date. Some aspects of the theory analysis are more readily quantifiable than others. Some are consistent with conventional theory in international relations. Others are based on insights and evidence from other areas of knowledge, thus departing from tradition in potentially significant ways. Initially applied to the causes of war, the theory focuses on the question of: Who does what, when, how, and with what consequences? The causal logic in lateral pressure theory runs from the internal drivers (i.e., the master variables that shape the profiles of states) through the intervening variables (i.e., aggregated and articulated demands given prevailing capabilities), and the outcomes often generate added complexities. To the extent that states expand their activities outside territorial boundaries, driven by a wide range of capabilities and motivations, they are likely to encounter other states similarly engaged. The intersection among spheres of influence is the first step in complex dynamics that lead to hostilities, escalation, and eventually conflict and violence. The quantitative analysis of lateral pressure theory consists of six distinct phases. The first phase began with a large-scale, cross- national, multiple equation econometric investigation of the 45 years leading to World War I, followed by a system of simultaneous equations representing conflict dynamics among competing powers in the post–World War II era. The second phase is a detailed econometric analysis of Japan over the span of more than a century and two World Wars. The third phase of lateral pressure involves system dynamics modeling of growth and expansion of states from 1970s to the end of the 20th century and explores the use of fuzzy logic in this process. The fourth phase focuses on the state-based sources of anthropogenic greenhouse gases to endogenize the natural environment in the study of international relations. The fifth phase presents a detailed ontology of the driving variables shaping lateral pressure and their critical constituents in order to (a) frame their interconnections, (b) capture knowledge on sustainable development, (c) create knowledge management methods for the search, retrieval, and use of knowledge on sustainable development and (d) examine the use of visualization techniques for knowledge display and analysis. The sixth, and most recent, phase of lateral pressure theory and empirical analysis examines the new realities created by the construction of cyberspace and interactions with the traditional international order. Thu, 27 Jul 2017 00:00:00 GMT https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/141739 2017-07-27T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/141738 Analytics for Smart Grid Cybersecurity Choucri, Nazli; Agarwal, Gaurav Guidelines, directives, and policy statements are usually presented in “linear” text form – word after word, page after page. However necessary, this practice impedes full understanding, obscures feedback dynamics, hides mutual dependencies and cascading effects and the like, -- even when augmented with tables and diagrams. The net result is often a checklist response as an end in itself. All this creates barriers to intended realization of guidelines and undermines potential effectiveness. We present a solution strategy using text as “data”, transforming text into a structured model, and generate a network views of the text(s), that we then can use for vulnerability mapping, risk assessments and control point analysis. We apply this approach using two NIST reports on cybersecurity of smart grid, more than 600 pages of text. Here we provide a synopsis of approach, methods, and tools. (Elsewhere we consider (a) system-wide level, (b) aviation e- landscape, (c) electric vehicles, and (d) SCADA for smart grid). Tue, 25 Apr 2017 00:00:00 GMT https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/141738 2017-04-25T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/141737 Framework for Global Accord on Artificial Intelligence (AI) Choucri, Nazli Advances in information and communication technologies – global Internet, social media, Internet of Things, and a range of related science-driven innovations and generative and emergent technologies – continue to shape a dynamic communication and information ecosystem for which there is no precedent. These advances are powerful in many ways. Foremost among these in terms of salience, ubiquity, pervasiveness, and expansion in scale and scope is the broad area of artificial intelligence. They have created a new global ecology; yet they remain opaque and must be better understood— an ecology of “knowns” that is evolving in ways that remain largely “unknown.” Especially compelling is the acceleration of Artificial Intelligence – in all its forms – with far-ranging applications shaping a new global ecosystem for which there is no precedent. This chapter presents a brief view of the most pressing challenges, articulates the logic for worldwide agreement to retain the rule of law in the international system, and presents salient features of an emergent International Accord on Artificial Intelligence. The Framework for Artificial Intelligence International Accord (AIIA) is an initial response to this critical gap in the system of international rules and regulations. Sat, 09 Jul 2022 00:00:00 GMT https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/141737 2022-07-09T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/141724 The role of cyberspace in international relations: A view of the literature Reardon, Robert; Choucri, Nazli This paper reviews the literature on cyber international relations of the previous decade. The review covers all journal articles on the role of cyberspace and information technology that appeared in 26 major policy, scholarly IR, and political science journals between the years 2001- 2010. The search yielded 49 articles, mostly from policy journals. The articles are sorted into five distinct issue areas: global civil society, governance, economic development, the effects on authoritarian regimes, and security. The review identifies, and discusses the significance of three unifying themes throughout all of the articles: efforts to define the relevant subject of analysis; cyberspace’s qualitatively transformative effects on international politics, particularly the empowerment of previously marginalized actors; and, at the highest analytic level, efforts to theoretically capture the mutually embedded relationship between technology and politics. These themes can help guide future research on cyber international relations, and focus attention on ways that debates within each of the five distinct issue areas are interconnected, and can be usefully approached using a unified conceptual framework. Sun, 01 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/141724 2012-04-01T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/141709 The evolution of network based cybersecurity norms: An analytical narrative Basuchoudhary, Atin; Choucri, Nazli We examine coordination dilemmas in cybersecurity policy by using an already developed evolutionary game theoretical model [2]. We suggest that norms to encourage network based security systems may not evolve independently of international governance systems. In fact, certain kinds of state action may actually further discourage the evolution of such norms. This paper therefore suggests that specific system-wide cybersecurity systems will be more effective than network-specific security. We build on established analytical frameworks to develop a cumulative understanding of the dynamics at hand. This would allow us, in due course, to extend the contributions of evolutionary game theory to cybersecurity problems. Wed, 13 Aug 2014 00:00:00 GMT https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/141709 2014-08-13T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/141706 Improving interdisciplinary communication with standardized cyber security terminology: A literature review Ramirez, Robert; Choucri, Nazli The growing demand for computer security, and the cyberization trend, are hallmarks of the 21st century. The rise in cyber-crime, digital currency, and e-governance has been well met by a corresponding recent jump in investment in new technology for securing computers around the globe. Business and government sectors have begun to focus effort on comprehensive cyber security solutions. With this effort has emerged a need for greater collaboration between research and industry fields. Despite much effort, there is still too little cross-disciplinary collaboration in the realm of computer security. This paper reviews the new trends, contributions, and identifiable limitations in cyber security research. We argue that these limitations are due largely to the lack of interdisciplinary cooperation required to address a problem that is clearly multifaceted. We then identify a need for further refinement of standard cyber security terminology to facilitate interdisciplinary cooperation, and propose guidelines for the global Internet multistakeholder community to consider when crafting such standards. We also assess the viability of some specific jargon, including whether cyber should be a separate word when used as a descriptor (e.g. cyber-crime or cybercrime), and conclude with recommendations for terminology use when writing papers on cyber security or the new broader field of all things relating to cyberspace, which has recently been dubbed Cybermatics, a term we also examine and propose alternatives to. By furthering the effort to standardize cyber security terminology, this paper lays groundwork for cross-disciplinary collaboration, interaction between technical and nontechnical stakeholders, and drafting of universal Internet governance laws. Mon, 21 Mar 2016 00:00:00 GMT https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/141706 2016-03-21T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/141704 Who controls cyberspace? Choucri, Nazli; Clark, David D When Wikileaks released hundreds of thousands of Iraq War logs and diplomatic cables in 2010, a horrified US government sprang into action—but the classified information the government hoped to keep from public view quickly migrated to overseas servers, ensuring that it would likely never be suppressed. After an anti-Islamic movie trailer was posted on YouTube in 2012, the horrified Pakistani government rushed to block its nation’s access to the Internet video service—and, in the process, temporarily disrupted YouTube access around the world. Toward the beginning of the Egyptian revolution, the government of Hosni Mubarak tried to quell the cyber-based aspect of the protest by turning off the Internet, but that effort did little to alter the course of the revolt. China, however, continued to block searches for the terms “Egypt” and “Arab Spring,” with at least some success. Until recently, cyberspace was considered largely a matter of low politics, the term political scientists use to denote background conditions and routine decisions and processes. Over the last decade, though, cyberspace, with the Internet at its core, has clearly begun to shape the domain of high politics—that is, the national security considerations, core institutions, and decision systems that are critical to national governments. Those governments have long held a monopoly on high politics and are, in turn, trying to control the future of cyberspace, with, at best, very limited success. The field of international relations, rooted in 20th-century issues and theories, has not kept pace with the emerging significance of cyberspace; and as the empowered non-state groups and individuals of cyberspace and international politics now simultaneously shape one another, the potential collisions of law, policy, and practice have barely been identified. Before the international community can begin to minimize the negative consequences of those inevitable collisions, it needs to understand how and where cyberspace and international relations intersect and influence one another, and who controls those intersections. Sun, 01 Sep 2013 00:00:00 GMT https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/141704 2013-09-01T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/141689 The convergence of cyberspace and sustainability Choucri, Nazli This paper highlights the emerging synergy between cyberspace (a new arena of interaction) and sustainability (a new initiative on the global agenda), and their convergence on the global policy agenda. This convergence is at the conjunction of two processes, the growing pressures for transitions toward sustainability in the real context of human interactions; and the expanded, cyber-enabled opportunities for the pursuit of goals and objectives. This convergence, unexpected as it was, is a result mainly of the properties of cyberspace as we know it and those of sustainability as we seek to frame it. Reinforced by the role of knowledge in international forums, both cyberspace and sustainability are relative newcomers to international relations theory, policy, and practice. Fri, 20 Apr 2012 00:00:00 GMT https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/141689 2012-04-20T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/141686 Co-evolution of cyberspace and international relations: New challenges for the social sciences Choucri, Nazli Created by human ingenuity, cyberspace is a fact of daily life. Until recently, this arena of virtual interaction was considered largely a matter of low politics— the routine, background, and relatively non-contentious. Today cyberspace and its uses have vaulted into the highest realm of high politics – the most salient and contentious forms of interaction. We now appreciate that cyber capabilities are also a source of vulnerability, posing potential threats to national security, and disturbing the familiar and traditional international order. The expansion of cyber access has already influenced the Westphalian-anchored international system in powerful ways. This paper argues that the construction of cyberspace is creating new challenges for the social sciences, the full nature of still remains to be fully understood -- perhaps even calling into question some of its most basic assumptions. We frame these challenges with reference to co- evolution of the new cyber domain and the traditional international system, and then focus more specifically on the emergent synergy between two independent features of the contemporary world order -- cyberspace (an arena of interaction) and sustainability (a policy imperative), and their convergence on the global policy agenda It is no surprise that sustainability is closely connected to security – or alternatively that security is contingent on sustainability. By extension, cyber security is derivative, in that is refers to security in the cyber domain. Sun, 13 Oct 2013 00:00:00 GMT https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/141686 2013-10-13T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/141673 Introduction Choucri, Nazli Mon, 05 Dec 2016 00:00:00 GMT https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/141673 2016-12-05T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/141672 Cyberpolitics in international relations Choucri, Nazli Tue, 01 Jan 2013 00:00:00 GMT https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/141672 2013-01-01T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/141671 Emerging trends in cyberspace: Dimensions and dilemmas Choucri, Nazli Mon, 01 Aug 2016 00:00:00 GMT https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/141671 2016-08-01T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/141670 Cyberpolitics Choucri, Nazli Thu, 15 May 2014 00:00:00 GMT https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/141670 2014-05-15T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/141667 Building global digital supply chain hub by cybersecurity commitment: Singapore's strategic role in the digital age Huang, Keman; Madnick, Stuart E.; Choucri, Nazli Digital trade is growing in importance: it contributed to 10% of the global GDP in the last decade by enabling cross-border e-commerce. However, accompanied by sustained digital innovations, weak cybersecurity is becoming a growing threat to digital trading. Unfortunately, there are no global rules for managing digital trade, let alone rules to address challenges to cybersecurity issues in the domain of digital trade. An international effort to develop a global standardized cyber code is not a luxury for digital trade. It is a necessity. Concerns surrounding cybersecurity in digital trade are global in scale and scope. The diversified circumstances and inconsistent actions that can lead to different outcomes, sometimes become a source of provocation, and even result in international conflicts. Fragmented efforts to manage various cybersecurity threats can also increase, instead of reduce cyber risks in all digital trade. Mon, 19 Oct 2020 00:00:00 GMT https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/141667 2020-10-19T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/141666 The New Normal Choucri, Nazli As vast as cyberspace is, so too are the threats, exploits and damages that seem to multiply by the day through this network of computer interconnections around the globe — elements that are shaping a new normal which is not yet fully understood. Tue, 13 Jun 2017 00:00:00 GMT https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/141666 2017-06-13T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/141624 Explorations in international relations: Final program report Choucri, Nazli In international relations, the traditional approaches to theory and research, practice, and policy were derived from experiences in the 19th and 20th centuries. But cyberspace, shaped by human ingenuity, is a venue for social interaction, an environment for social communication, and an enabler of new mechanisms for power and leverage. Cyberspace creates new condition — problems and opportunities — for which there are no clear precedents in human history. Already we recognize new patterns of conflict and contention, and concepts such as cyberwar, cybersecurity, and cyberattack are in circulation, buttressed by considerable evidence of cyber espionage and cybercrime. The research problem is this: distinct features of cyberspace — such as time, scope, space, permeation, ubiquity, participation and attribution — challenge traditional modes of inquiry in international relations and limit their utility. The interdisciplinary MIT-Harvard ECIR research project explores various facets of cyber international relations, including its implications for power and politics, conflict and war. Our primary mission and principal goal is to increase the capacity of the nation to address the policy challenges of the cyber domain. Our research is intended to influence today’s policy makers with the best thinking about issues and opportunities, and to train tomorrow’s policy makers to be effective in understanding choice and consequence in cyber matters. Accordingly, the ECIR vision is to create an integrated knowledge domain of international relations in the cyber age, that is (a) multidisciplinary, theory-driven, technically and empirically; (b) clarifies threats and opportunities in cyberspace for national security, welfare, and influence;(c) provides analytical tools for understanding and managing transformation and change; and (d) attracts and educates generations of researchers, scholars, and analysts for international relations in the new cyber age. Version 1.2 Thu, 01 Jan 2015 00:00:00 GMT https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/141624 2015-01-01T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/141623 2014 ECIR Workshop on"Cyber Security & the Governance Gap: Complexity, Contention, Cooperation" Choucri, Nazli This workshop focuses on the dynamics shaping these dual features—cyber threats and cyber governance—while also taking into account operational, pragmatic, and normative aspects, as well as potential policy responses. At the core is “nature of the gap” between the two—all from different perspectives: people as users; business and industry; states and governments; and the international community, private and public—everywhere. The question is which trend will dominate: threats to cyber security or the expansion of cyber governance? Does that matter? If so how? If not, why not? Proceedings of the ECIR Workshop on "Cyber Security & the Governance Gap: Complexity, Contention, Cooperation," January 6–7, 2014, MIT, Cambridge, MA. Mon, 06 Jan 2014 00:00:00 GMT https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/141623 2014-01-06T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/141622 2012 ECIR Workshop on "Who Controls Cyberspace? A Puzzle for National Security and International Relations" Choucri, Nazli This Workshop proceeds from the assumption that we have as yet no overarching and complete accounting of who controls what, when, and how, nor do we fully understand what are the precise points of control, where they are currently located and where the future ones might be placed. Accordingly, the Workshop is based on first principles, namely, cyber-ecosystems, power in “real” and cyber contexts, and introduce control point analysis. Then it turns to specific control features from four different perspectives: (a) people as users; (b) business and industry; (c) states and governments; and (d) the international community, private and public – across different regions of the world. Proceedings of the ECIR Workshop on "Who Controls Cyberspace? A Puzzle for National Security and International Relations," November 6–7, 2012, MIT, Cambridge, MA. Fri, 07 Dec 2012 00:00:00 GMT https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/141622 2012-12-07T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/141621 2011 ECIR Workshop on "People, Power and CyberPolitics" Choucri, Nazli The People, Power, and CyberPolitics Conference is a joint project of MIT and Harvard University on Explorations in Cyber International Relations (ECIR). Co-sponsored by the Council on Foreign Relations, this workshop is the second in a series of sustained deliberations and explorations involving leading individuals in academia, government and business. The outcome of the workshop will be a new understanding of emergent dimensions of cyberpolitics with respect to (i) the evolving pressures on policy and theory, and (ii) the methods and techniques of exploring current conditions and understanding the contours of potential futures. Proceedings of the ECIR Workshop on "People, Power and CyberPolitics," December 7–8, 2011, MIT, Cambridge, MA. Wed, 07 Dec 2011 00:00:00 GMT https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/141621 2011-12-07T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/141620.2 2010 ECIR Workshop on "Cyber International Relations: Emergent Realities of Conflict and Cooperation" Choucri, Nazli An event of the MIT-Harvard multidisciplinary Minerva Project on "Explorations in Cyber International Relations" (ECIR), this conference seeks to adjust traditional views to the cyber realities of the 21st century. Of the many questions shaping world politics today, few are as daunting as Who Controls Cyberspace? Clear as it might appear, this question is deceptively simple, even elusive. It obscures other hidden or implicit aspects, namely, who can control cyberspace, who will control, and who should control cyberspace. However framed, the issue of control is closely tied to matters of scale and scope as well as authority and legitimacy – and most certainly intent and capacity. Our vision is to create new understandings of these realities that help: Highlight alternative perspectives and policies as well as institutional requirements; Clarify threats and opportunities in cyberspace for national security, welfare, and influence; Provide analytical tools for understanding and managing transformation and change; and Attract and educate a new generation of researchers, scholars, and analysts. We hope to develop an integrated approach to international relations and help frame cyber theory and practice for the 21st century. Most important of all, we seek to provide foundations for an integrated view of international relations. Proceedings of the ECIR Workshop on "Cyber International Relations: Emergent Realities of Conflict and Cooperation," October 13–14, 2010, MIT, Cambridge, MA. Wed, 13 Oct 2010 00:00:00 GMT https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/141620.2 2010-10-13T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/141618 The dynamics of managing undersea cables: When solution becomes the problem Sechrist, Michael; Vaishnav, Chintan; Goldsmith, Daniel; Choucri, Nazli In the U.S., approximately 95% of all international Internet and phone traffic travels via undersea cables. Nearly all government traffic, including sensitive diplomatic and military orders, travels these cables to reach officials in the field.The problem, however, is that the undersea cable infrastructure is susceptible to several types of vulnerability, including: rising capacity constraints, increased exposure to disruption from both natural and mad-made sources, and emerging security risks from cable concentration in dense geographical networks (such as New York and New Jersey, and places like Egypt/ Suez Canal.) Moreover, even under normal working conditions, there is a concern whether governance-as-usual can keep up with the future growth of Internet traffic. In this work, we explore the impact of these problems on the dynamics of managing undersea cable infrastructure. Poster presented in the workshop on “Who Controls Cyberspace,” MIT, Cambridge, MA, United States, November 6-7, 2012. Tue, 06 Nov 2012 00:00:00 GMT https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/141618 2012-11-06T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/141608 Comparative analysis of cybersecurity metrics to develop new hypotheses Fisher, D.; Madnick, Stuart E.; Choucri, Nazli; Li, X.; Ferwerda, J. Few Internet security organizations provide comprehensive, detailed, and reliable quantitative metrics, especially in the international perspective across multiple countries, multiple years, and multiple categories. Organizations ask why they should spend valuable time and resources collecting and standardizing data. This report aims to provide an encouraging answer to this question by demonstrating the value that even limited metrics can provide in a comparative perspective. We present some findings generated through the use of the Explorations in Cyber Internet Relations (ECIR) Data Dashboard. In essence, this dashboard consists of a simple graphing and analysis tool, coupled with a database consisting of data from disparate national-level cyber data sources provided by governments, Computer Emergency Response Teams (CERTs), and international organizations. Users of the dashboard can select relevant security variables, compare various countries, and scale information as needed. In this paper, we present an example of observations concerning the fight against cybercrime, along with several hypotheses attempting to explain the findings. We believe that these preliminary results suggest valuable ways in which such data could be used and we hope this research will help provide the incentives for organizations to increase the quality and quantity of standardized quantitative data available. Poster presented in the workshop on “People, Power, and CyberPolitics,” MIT, Cambridge, MA, United States, December 7–8, 2011. Wed, 07 Dec 2011 00:00:00 GMT https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/141608 2011-12-07T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/141566 LIGHTS: Laboratory for information globalization and harmonization technologies and studies Choucri, Nazli; Madnick, Stuart E.; Siegel, Michael D.; Wang, Richard Three important trends – unrelenting globalization, growing worldwide electronic connectivity, and increasing knowledge intensity of economic activity – are creating new opportunities for global politics, with challenging demands for information access, interpretation, provision and overall use. This has serious implications for two diverse domains of scholarship: Information Technology (IT) and International Relations (IR) in political science. Unless IT advances remain ‘one step ahead’ of such realities and complexities, strategies for better understanding and responding to emergent global challenges will be severely impeded. For example, the new Department of Homeland Security will rely on intelligence information from all over the world to develop strategic responses to a wide range of security threats. However, relevant information is stored throughout the world and by diverse agencies and in different media, formats, quality, and contexts. Intelligent integration of that information and improved modes of access and use are critical to developing policies designed to identify and anticipate sources of threat, to strengthen protection against threats on the United States, and to enhance the security of the nation. Sat, 01 Feb 2003 00:00:00 GMT https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/141566 2003-02-01T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/141565 Information integration for counter terrorism activities: The requirement for context mediation Choucri, Nazli; Madnick, Stuart E.; Moulton, Allen; Siegel, Michael D.; Zhu, Hongwei The National Research Council has noted that "[A]lthough there are many private and public databases that contain information potentially relevant to counterterrorism programs, they lack the necessary context definitions (i.e., metadata) and access tools to enable interoperation with other databases and the extraction of meaningful and timely information." In this paper we present examples of these problems and a technology developed at MIT, called context mediation, which provides a novel approach for addressing these problems. Sat, 01 Nov 2003 00:00:00 GMT https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/141565 2003-11-01T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/141564 Laboratory for information globalization and harmonization Siegel, Michael D.; Madnick, Stuart E.; Choucri, Nazli; Zhu, Harry; Haghseta, Farnaz; Moulton, Allen The convergence of three distinct but interconnected trends – unrelenting globalization, growing worldwide electronic connectivity, and increasing knowledge intensity of economic activity – is creating powerful new opportunities and challenges for global politics. This rapidly changing environment has information demands that surpass existing capabilities for information access, interpretation, and overall use, thus hindering our abilities to address emergent and complex global challenges, such as terrorism and other security threats. This reality has serious implications for two diverse domains of scholarship: international relations (IR) in political science and information technology (IT). Unless IT advances remain ‘one step ahead’ of emergent realities and complexities, strategies for better understanding and responding to critical global challenges will be severely impeded. For example, more so now than ever, the U.S. Office of Counter-Terrorism and the newly-created Office of Homeland Security rely on intelligence information from all over the world to develop strategic responses to security threats. However, relevant information is stored in various regions throughout the world and by diverse agencies in different media, formats, and contexts. Intelligent integration of information is fundamental to developing policies to anticipate and strengthen protection against terrorist threats or attacks in the United States. This Project’s activities, and relationships with its collaborators, will be coordinated through a newly formed joint Laboratory for Information Globalization and Harmonization Technologies (LIGHT). LIGHT will address information needs in the IR domain, focusing on the conflict realm, which deals with emergent risks, threats, and uncertainties of potentially global scale and scope related to: (a) crises, (b) conflicts and war; and (c) anticipation, monitoring and early warning. The goals of this initiative are to: (1) improve understanding of the types of IR information needs for decision making and institutional performance under varying degrees of risk and uncertainty; (2) design and implement the System for Harmonized Information Processing, to facilitate access to and correct interpretation of essential information that is critical to policy and research in the IR realm, as well as to other similarly complex domains, and (3) advance developments in the use of information technologies to facilitate such interdisciplinary research and to contribute to new education approaches, tools, and methods. Increasingly, addressing problems central to national and global interests in complex domains such as IR requires the use of technologies that easily combine observations from disparate sources, using different interpretations, for different purposes, and by a wide range of users. Critical advances in IT capabilities must span multiple domains (e.g., economic, political, geographic, commercial, and demographic), diverse contexts (i.e., meanings, languages, assumptions), and a multiplicity of contending agents (i.e., states, governments, corporations, international institutions). The technology-related research will focus on acquiring and enhancing information to serve user requirements both over individual domains (i.e., a single shared ontology) and across multiple domains, which are necessary for addressing complex challenges. The core innovation is reflected in the notion of a Collaborative Domain Space (CDS), within which applications in a common domain can share, analyze, modify, and develop information. For applications that span multiple domains we provide for a Collection of CDSs to link shared concepts in distinct domains. Moreover, we will develop the System for Harmonized Information Processing that incorporates CDSs as a basis for knowledge representation and includes all the necessary reasoning algorithms required to support information processing over a range of heterogeneous sources and applications. The development of the system described above builds upon prior work. The political science IR work will draw on an earlier Internet-based experimental ‘platform’ for exploring forms of information generation, provision, and integration across multiple domains, regions, languages, and epistemologies which are relevant to complex but domain-specific applications, the Global System for Sustainable Development (GSSD). The IT component builds on work on the Context Interchange project (COIN) focused on the integration of a range of distributed heterogeneous information sources (e.g., financial, supply chain, disaster relief) using ontologies, databases, context mediation algorithms, and wrapper technologies. Both groups have considerable experience with the organization and management of large scale, international, distributed, and diverse research projects, including cross-national (e.g., China, Middle East, Europe) and institutional (private, public, national and international) agencies. The anticipated results will apply to any complex domain with multiple entities that rely on heterogeneous distributed data to address and resolve compelling problems. This initiative is supported by a network of international collaborators from (a) scientific and research institutions, (b) business and industry, and (c) national and international agencies. Expected research products include: a software platform, IR-based knowledge repository, and diverse applications in policy, research, and education which are anticipated to significantly impact the way complex organizations, and society in general, understand and manage critical global challenges. Sat, 01 Dec 2001 00:00:00 GMT https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/141564 2001-12-01T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/141553 Improving National and Homeland Security through a proposed Laboratory for Information Globalization and Harmonization Technologies (LIGHT) Choucri, Nazli; Madnick, Stuart E.; Siegel, Michael; Wang, Richard A recent National Research Council study found that: "Although there are many private and public databases that contain information potentially relevant to counter terrorism programs, they lack the necessary context definitions (i.e., metadata) and access tools to enable interoperation with other databases and the extraction of meaningful and timely information" [NRC02, p.304, emphasis added] That sentence succinctly describes the objectives of this project. Improved access and use of information are essential to better identify and anticipate threats, protect against and respond to threats, and enhance national and homeland security (NHS), as well as other national priority areas, such as Economic Prosperity and a Vibrant Civil Society (ECS) and Advances in Science and Engineering (ASE). This project focuses on the creation and contributions of a Laboratory for Information Globalization and Harmonization Technologies (LIGHT) with two interrelated goals: (1) Theory and Technologies: To research, design, develop, test, and implement theory and technologies for improving the reliability, quality, and responsiveness of automated mechanisms for reasoning and resolving semantic differences that hinder the rapid and effective integration (int) of systems and data (dmc) across multiple autonomous sources, and the use of that information by public and private agencies involved in national and homeland security and the other national priority areas involving complex and interdependent social systems (soc). This work builds on our research on the COntext INterchange (COIN) project, which focused on the integration of diverse distributed heterogeneous information sources using ontologies, databases, context mediation algorithms, and wrapper technologies to overcome information representational conflicts. The COIN approach makes it substantially easier and more transparent for individual receivers (e.g., applications, users) to access and exploit distributed sources. Receivers specify their desired context to reduce ambiguities in the interpretation of information coming from heterogeneous sources. This approach significantly reduces the overhead involved in the integration of multiple sources, improves data quality, increases the speed of integration, and simplifies maintenance in an environment of changing source and receiver context - which will lead to an effective and novel distributed information grid infrastructure. This research also builds on our Global System for Sustainable Development (GSSD), an Internet platform for information generation, provision, and integration of multiple domains, regions, languages, and epistemologies relevant to international relations and national security. (2) National Priority Studies: To experiment with and test the developed theory and technologies on practical problems of data integration in national priority areas. Particular focus will be on national and homeland security, including data sources about conflict and war, modes of instability and threat, international and regional demographic, economic, and military statistics, money flows, and contextualizing terrorism defense and response. Although LIGHT will leverage the results of our successful prior research projects, this will be the first research effort to simultaneously and effectively address ontological and temporal information conflicts as well as dramatically enhance information quality. Addressing problems of national priorities in such rapidly changing complex environments requires extraction of observations from disparate sources, using different interpretations, at different points in times, for different purposes, with different biases, and for a wide range of different uses and users. This research will focus on integrating information both over individual domains and across multiple domains. Another innovation is the concept and implementation of Collaborative Domain Spaces (CDS), within which applications in a common domain can share, analyze, modify, and develop information. Applications also can span multiple domains via Linked CDSs. The PIs have considerable experience with these research areas and the organization and management of such large scale international and diverse research projects. The PIs come from three different Schools at MIT: Management, Engineering, and Humanities, Arts & Social Sciences. The faculty and graduate students come from about a dozen nationalities and diverse ethnic, racial, and religious backgrounds. The currently identified external collaborators come from over 20 different organizations and many different countries, industrial as well as developing. Specific efforts are proposed to engage even more women, underrepresented minorities, and persons with disabilities. The anticipated results apply to any complex domain that relies on heterogeneous distributed data to address and resolve compelling problems. This initiative is supported by international collaborators from (a) scientific and research institutions, (b) business and industry, and (c) national and international agencies. Research products include: a System for Harmonized Information Processing (SHIP), a software platform, and diverse applications in research and education which are anticipated to significantly impact the way complex organizations, and society in general, understand and manage critical challenges in NHS, ECS, and ASE. Fri, 10 Dec 2004 00:00:00 GMT https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/141553 2004-12-10T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/141504 Introduction: CyberPolitics in International Relations Choucri, Nazli This issue of the International Political Science Review is devoted to new challenges and opportunities-as well as attendant problems-created by new information and communication technologies and applications in political science, with special attention to implications for international relations. The challenges are shaped in large part by the convergence of three trends: globalization, world-wide electronic connectivity, and emergent practices in knowledge networking. Increasingly, this convergence is reinforcing the role of knowledge in the global economy and in power politics. While each of these trends, individually, is having an impact on social discourse and modes of interaction, jointly they may be shaping powerful new parameters of politics, both nationally and internationally. They may also affect our ways of generating and managing knowledge, creating new knowledge, and even framing or re-framing the core concepts in political science. Central among these concepts, of course, are power, politics, representation, accountability, conflict, contention, and a host of others. In the context of the broader social sciences, these trends are also transforming traditional know- ledge practices, creating new research modes, and accelerating "new knowledge." Sat, 01 Jul 2000 00:00:00 GMT https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/141504 2000-07-01T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/141503 Global e-readiness—for what? Readiness for e-banking Choucri, Nazli; Madnick, Stuart E.; Siegel, Michael D.; Gillett, Sharon E.; Haghseta, Farnaz; Zhu, Hongwei; Best, Michael L. With the rapid diffusion of the Internet worldwide, there has been considerable interest in the e-potentials of developing countries giving rise to a first generation of e-readiness studies. Moreover, e-readiness means different things to different people, in different contexts, and for different purposes. Despite strong merits, this first generation of e-readiness studies assumed a fixed, one-size-fits-all set of requirements, regardless of the characteristics of individual countries, the investment context, or the demands of specific applications. This feature obscures critical information for investors or policy analysts seeking to reduce uncertainties and make educated decisions. But there is very little known about e-readiness for e-banking. In particular, based on lessons learned to date and their implications for emerging realities of the 21st century, the authors designed and executed a research project with theoretical as well as practical dimensions to answer the question of “e-Readiness for What?,” focusing specifically on e-banking, based on the very assumption that one size can seldom, if ever, fit all. The authors also propose and develop a conceptual framework for the “next generation” e-readiness—focusing on different e-business applications in different economic contexts with potentially different pathways—as well as a data model—to explore e-readiness for e-banking in 10 countries. Tue, 19 Jul 2005 00:00:00 GMT https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/141503 2005-07-19T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/138136.2 A Systematic Framework to Understand Transnational Governance for Cybersecurity Risks from Digital Trade Huang, Keman; Madnick, Stuart E; Choucri, Nazli; Zhang, Fang Governing cybersecurity risks from digital trade is a growing responsibility for governments and corporations. This study develops a systematic framework to delineate and analyze the strategies that governments and corporations take to address cybersecurity risks from digital trade. It maps out the current landscape based on a collection of 75 cases where governments and corporations interact to govern transnational cybersecurity risks. This study reveals that: first, governing cybersecurity risks from digital trade is a global issue whereby most governments implement policies with concerning that the cybersecurity risks embedded within purchasing transnational digital products can influence their domestic political and societal systems. Second, governments dominates the governance interactions by implementing trade policies whereas corporations simply comply. Corporations do, however, have chances to take more active roles in constructing the governance system. Third, supply chain cybersecurity risks have more significant impacts on governance mode between governments and corporations whereas concerns on different national cybersecurity risks do not. Fourth, the interactions between governments and corporations reveal the exisitence of loops that can amplify or reduce cybersecurity risks. This provides policy implications on transnational cybersecurity governance for policy makers and business leaders to consider their potential options and understand the global digital trade environment when cybersecurity and digital trade overlap. Tue, 31 Aug 2021 00:00:00 GMT https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/138136.2 2021-08-31T00:00:00Z https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/105890 The Theory of Lateral Pressure Highlights of Quantification & Empirical Analysis Choucri, Nazli Lateral Pressure refers to any tendency (or propensity) of individuals and societies to expand their activities and exert influence and control beyond their established boundaries, whether for economic, political, military, scientific, religious, or other purposes. Framed by Robert C. North and Nazli Choucri, the theory addresses the sources and consequences of such a tendency. Lateral Pressure theory seeks to explain the relationships between state characteristics and patterns of international behavior. The theory addresses the sources and consequences of transformation and change in international relations and provides a basis for analyzing potential feedback dynamics. To the extent that states expand their activities outside territorial boundaries – driven by a wide range of capabilities and motivations – they are likely to encounter other states similarly engaged. The intersection among spheres of influence is the first step in complex dynamics leading hostilities, escalation, and eventually to conflict and violence. These processes are contingent on the actors’ intents, capabilities, and activities. The causal logic in lateral pressure theory runs from the internal drivers, that is, the master variables that shape the profiles of states -- through the intervening variables, namely, aggregated and articulated demands given prevailing capabilities -- the outcome often generates added complexities. This paper proceeds as follows: First we highlight the basic features of lateral pressure theory, its core components, and their interconnections. Some aspects are more readily quantifiable than others. Some are more consistent with conventional theory in international relations. Others are based on insights and evidence from other areas of knowledge, thus departing from tradition in potentially significant ways. Second, we summarize the phases of empirical investigations and the evolution of theory over time. Third, we return to basics and focus on the refinements of metrics and quantification of the core concepts. All of this pertains to the world, as we have known it prior to the construction of the Internet, the core of cyberspace. Fourth, we then turn briefly to results so far of our o research on lateral pressure in the cyber domain. The Endnote highlights some emerging imperatives. Fri, 11 Nov 2016 00:00:00 GMT https://hdl.handle.net/1721.1/105890 2016-11-11T00:00:00Z