Book Review

Review

Sean S. Costigan and Jake Perry (eds), Cyberspaces and Global Affairs, Ashgate Publishing Limited, Farnham, 2012 (ISBN 978-1-4094-2754-4).

Reviewed by: Marcus Thompson, University of New South Wales in Canberra

Information technology is now critical to everyday societal functions such as communication, computation, control of critical infrastructure, medical treatment, government business, banking, and security. Yet the more control that society gains by the application of information technologies, and the more dependent society becomes on those technologies for everyday functions, the more vulnerable society becomes to security threats. These circumstances create a fascinating interaction between information technology and contemporary society. In the globalised digital economy, individuals, governments and corporations throughout the world are able to cooperate and exchange information in an instantaneous and inexpensive manner. However, the pervasive nature of information technology has also facilitated a massive, and at times complex, transformation in global affairs.

Cyberspaces and Global Affairs, edited by Sean S. Costigan and Jake Perry presents a comprehensive view of the complex challenges associated with the continued permeation of information technology throughout contemporary society. Achieving a comprehensive view of this fast changing field is no simple feat. Yet the diverse collection of authors and topics in this volume presents the reader with a thorough and well sequenced primer on information technology and international affairs that forms an extremely useful contribution to the ongoing discussion, and indeed debate, regarding the relationship and interaction between society and information technology.

Although the book has twenty seven authors, the collective effort is well orchestrated and coordinated by the editors. Each chapter presents a balanced, reasoned discussion of the pertinent subject area in the context of the book’s overall framework. The recurring themes of the chapters are the evident shift of power and changing relationships between international groups and institutions that is facilitated by information transfer; and the social, cultural, political and economic impact on society of new technologies.

In many respects, the volume seeks to address some of the more critical questions of our time. Issues such as the value of information; the varying legal and policy treatment of information technology considerations and priorities in different national and state jurisdictions; the ownership of information; and the effect that technology has exercised on national views of security, privacy, freedom of speech are addressed in easy to read chapters.

The book contains twenty seven topics that range from informative commentaries, through well-considered opinion pieces, to thorough academic analyses of current trends and challenges regarding the impact of information technology on international affairs. The diverse collection of chapters and authors is grouped into three sections. Part I addresses topics related to security, defence and national threats. These topics include discussions that range from network centric warfare, through cyber war and cyber terrorism, to issue-motivated hacking. Part II addresses the implications of technology on international relationships and power. This discussion includes a detailed consideration of the implications of social media, and the resultant thorny issues of individual rights, privacy, and censorship. Part III provides insights to the fast growing challenges that result from having access to vast quantities of information, and the uneven development of IT-centred societies across the world in the technological age. Topics addressed include the rise of digital haves and have-nots; and the resultant social, political, and economic challenges, such as how information can be used to solve problems, and the impacts of technology on high-profile contemporary concerns such as medical support and the environment.

The book can easily be treated as a collection of chapters that can be read in isolation, and in accordance with the reader’s specific interests. Alternatively, it can be read as a single volume from start to finish. Cyberspaces and Global Affairs is equally relevant to students, academics, government policy makers, and individual citizens. It is recommended to anyone with an interest in the interaction between information technology and society.

Cyberspaces and Global Affairs, can be ordered online through Ashgate Publishing at: http://www.ashgate.com.