America And International Cyber Warfare

The Washington Post reported today on an alleged cyberattack on an Illinois water plant. Apparently, the mischief succeeded in creating equipment malfunctions and consequent closure of the water facility. The attack's source was traced to a Russian IP address. The Post story relied for its key information from one source, an "industry security expert," whose due diligence found a report which outlined the incident and its immediate consequences.

(Postscript -- The Saturday, November 26th online edition of the Washington Post reports that the alleged attack on the Illinois water plant "was in fact caused by a plant contractor traveling in Russia." The story, released over the slow-news Thanksgiving weekend, also noted that "Plant and federal officials are still investigating the cause of the pump's failure." Why a contractor's computer activity could shut down a water plant's operation also remains unexplained.)

Regardless of this case's outcome, it does highlight what  mayhem cyber warfare and industrial espionage can cause. For some time, the sources of most high-profile cyberattacks against American assets have been Russia, Eastern Europe, and the People's Republic of China. Israel and France have also conducted cyberattacks and state-supported espionage, principally to acquire sensitive corporate information, rather than disrupt the American security state.

Russian involvement has sinister and dangerous overtones, thanks to its blurring of boundaries between the state and the underworld. However, China is the most ominous state player, with its apparent imperialistic ambitions, aggressive will, and ample means to launch and maintain disruptive activity to American computer-based systems. Beijing's goals include the ability to defend itself against what it perceives as American electronic intrusion. This drive has manifested itself in episodes such as the Chinese government's continuing anti-Google campaign.

Meanwhile, there is increasing evidence that the United States empire is on a collision course with its emerging Chinese counterpart. As the Greek historian Thucydides observed, it is in the nature of hegemony for these conflicts to happen. The Chinese government and military have few doubts about this development. They're getting ready, looking for American weak spots, preparing to exploit advantage when the situation seems ripe for it. Meanwhile, our military-industrial complex and its governmental allies are slowly coming around to understanding the challenge's full dimensions. Ultimately, the American government will need to ally much more openly with its elite tech firms to counteract hostile, state-sponsored cyberwarfare. Whether Silicon Valley libertarians, DC technocrats, and military brass can coalesce to fight back against this shadow over American international dominance remains to be seen.