Challenges of State Sovereignty and the Right of State to Self-defense: The Case of Cyber Attacks

Joel Niyobuhungiro

2018

Abstract

Sovereign states enjoy right of freedom from threat or use of force albeit this freedom is jeopardized in the realm of cyber warfare. Cyber threats continue to pose challenges to state sovereignty and attributing responsibility is difficult in cyber warfare because of sophisticated technology, anonymity and rapidity rendering it difficult to discern the source of the attacks. Some countries retaliate under the auspices or umbrella of inherent right of self-defence embedded in UN Charter. However, the legality of this self-defence is controversial. This research aims to know whether cyber-attack constitutes use of force or not. It ascertains if a state can invoke its right of self-defence in response to a cyber-attack presenting the same effects as those of armed attacks. Do cyber-attacks against state amount to use of force? With normative legal research this article analyzes the use of force, right of states to self-defense as state sovereignty is threatened in cyber-attacks which leave potential challenges.

Paper Citation

in Harvard Style

Niyobuhungiro J. (2018). Challenges of State Sovereignty and the Right of State to Self-defense: The Case of Cyber Attacks.In Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference Postgraduate School - Volume 1: ICPS, ISBN 978-989-758-348-3, pages 668-671. DOI: 10.5220/0007549206680671

in Bibtex Style

@conference{icps18,
author={Joel Niyobuhungiro},
title={Challenges of State Sovereignty and the Right of State to Self-defense: The Case of Cyber Attacks},
booktitle={Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference Postgraduate School - Volume 1: ICPS,},
year={2018},
pages={668-671},
publisher={SciTePress},
organization={INSTICC},
doi={10.5220/0007549206680671},
isbn={978-989-758-348-3},
}

in EndNote Style

TY - CONF

JO - Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference Postgraduate School - Volume 1: ICPS,
TI - Challenges of State Sovereignty and the Right of State to Self-defense: The Case of Cyber Attacks
SN - 978-989-758-348-3
AU - Niyobuhungiro J.
PY - 2018
SP - 668
EP - 671
DO - 10.5220/0007549206680671