Cyber Mercenaries

Tim Maurer co-directs the Cyber Policy Initiative at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. He is a member of several US track 1.5 cyber dialogues and the Freedom Online Coalition's cybersecurity working group. He co-chaired the Advisory Board of the 2015 Global Conference on CyberSpace, participated in the Global Commission on Internet Governance, and supported the confidence-building work of the OSCE. His work has been published by Foreign Policy, The Washington Post, TIME, Jane's Intelligence Review, CNN, Slate, Lawfare, and other academic and media venues. He holds a Master's in Public Policy from the Harvard Kennedy School.

• Part I. Of Brokers and Proxies: 1. Cyber proxies: an introduction; 2. Proxies: an instrument of power since ancient times; 3. Cyber power: geopolitics and human rights; Part II. Cyber Proxies Up Close: 4. Cyber proxies on a tight leash: the United States; 5. Cyber proxies on a loose leash: Iran and Syria; 6. Cyber proxies on the loose: the former Soviet Union; 7. Change over time: China's evolving relationships with cyber proxies; Part III. Implications: 8. The theory: state responsibility and cyber proxies; 9. The practice: shaping cyber proxy relationships; 10. Conclusion: cyber proxies, the future, and suggestions for further research; Future research; Notes.

'The cyber revolution is accelerating the diffusion of power in global politics. Non-state actors are increasingly important, but they form a complex set of alliances and arrangements with governments. Some are proxies for government on a tight leash; some virtually roam free. Tim Maurer continues his pioneering work on cyber politics with this important exploration of cyber mercenaries.' Joseph S. Nye, University Distinguished Service Professor at the Harvard Kennedy School of Government and author of The Future of Power