The U.S. Cyberpower And Its Application Into The U.S. Diplomatic Policy

The significance of the Internet is self-evident. It’s not only an indispensable part of our daily life, but also a vital variable that exerts a far-reaching influence on modern international relations. As the foundation of power switches from material substances to knowledge and information, cyberpower, which is a by-product of the Internet, will launch a strategic competition among great powers in the near future. Unlike traditional definition of power in the theory of international relations, cyberpower consists of two elements:hard cyberpower and soft cyberpower, thus it is a development and extension of the classic definition of power. The United States is a pioneer that applies the cyberpower into practical use, especially into the implementation of diplomatic policies. With the monopoly advantage of network technologies and a strong voice on network regulations, the U.S. has gradually forming a comprehensive and proactive thinking mode on the application of cyberpower. To analyze the different elements of the U.S. cyberpower and its application into diplomatic practices will provide China with an important reference on the strengthment of China’s cyber infrastructures and the establishment of China’s grand cyber strategy.This paper intends to analyze the elements of the U.S. cyberpower and its application into the U.S. diplomatic practices by studying the definition of cyberpower and China’s countermeasures. According to this paper, the contemporary competition among states on the international arena is still a power game, as the competition over cyberpower is a concrete example. The cyberpower itself does not change the nature of power, but rather a development and extension of the classic definition of power. However, cyberpower displays its own characteristics, namely, the combination of "hard power" and "soft power". The shaping effects of the soft cyberpower are particularly prominent, which would change the operational modes of power in the future. The U.S. government, with the monopoly network advantages at hand, had put forward a comprehensive and relatively aggressive grand cyberpower strategy that would be applied into its diplomatic practices. No matter how the cyber diplomatic policies change, the goals of the application of cyberpower remain the same. As a conservative power, the U.S.’intention is to hold the cyberpower tightly into its hands in order to safeguard the national security, achieve its national interests and promote its political values and ideology. Besides, the practical application of cyberpower presents some new trends that should be pay close attention. China, as the main target of the U.S. cyberpower policy, ought to develop its own counterplans in respect of network infrastructures and cyberpower strategy.This paper is mainly divided into three chapters. The first chapter starts with the basic theories about "power" in international relations. From the perspective of Realism and Liberalism, the paper defines a preliminary concept of "cyberpower" and clarifies the sources and characteristics of cyberpower. The general goals of the application of cyberpower and the operational mode of "hard cyberpower" as well as "soft cyberpower" are also summarized in this chapter. The second chapter is about the main elements of U.S. cyberpower, which are the solid foundation of U.S. application of cyberpower. The U.S. cyberpower consists of two big parts:the hard one, including the network technologies, the private companies and the professional talents; the soft one, including the Internet language, the regulations and laws, the technical standards and so on. The third chapter is about the evolution of U.S. cyberpower strategies which could be concluded from the cyber policies of U.S. administrations form President Clinton to President Obama. The concluding part focuses on U.S. cyberpower application into Sino-U.S. relations and China’s feasible countermeasures as well as the brief evaluation on U.S. cyberpower policy.