Borders without boundaries: An analysis of cybersecurity policy and changing notions of sovereignty

Throughout history, state-level actors have fought to protect physical borders and preserve the boundaries of their state from the influences of outsiders. Today, the Internet allows individuals access to ideas and cultures beyond their own. The Internet has grown into an all encompassing facilitator of change. The purpose of this capstone project is twofold. First the work seeks to examine the traditional conceptions of sovereignty and how these notions are affected by the Internet. Second, the paper examines how cybersecurity policy shapes the changing notion of sovereignty. The analysis begins by examining the historical role of sovereignty, and its effects on the larger international community. The discussion then leads into an examination of new conceptions of sovereignty due to the information revolution and the Internet.;Keywords: Cybersecurity, microblogging, Westphalian, international relations, constructivism, pluralism, Professor Albert Orbinati.