Topic: Future of Cyber Warfare
Country: Costa Rica
Delegate Name: Olof Carlson
School: Ann Arbor Community High School
Topic page: background guide and all position papers All Costa Rica position papers GLIMUN 2012 committees
For the past years, the influence of computers and the internet has increased drastically. However, just like any other revolutionary technology, there are people who are now using it in a malicious style. Terrorist groups, as well as nations, are now using computers for espionage, control, and military actions; this is known as “Cyber Warfare”, a term which we will grow quite familiar with if actions are not taken against it. Costa Rica, although a docile nation with no intentions of war, will have no tolerance for cyber attacks due to our close alliance with China.
China, being of the largest users of the internet, is a country which cyber warfare could affect highly. By inserting virus’s and other programs, offenders may be able to shut down the power of whole towns. With regards to our close relationship with China, Costa Rica considers cyber warfare as offensive as any other military action which disrespects a nation’s boundaries. The actions taken against the initiator of the cyber attack depends on if the group was government, extremist, or even personally sponsored; and an investigation should be made prior to any action taken against said initiator.
Just like the kind of war of which we have seen since the dawn of time, cyber warfare has a large variety of fields. These fields include, but are not limited to: espionage, sabotage, or assault. Virus’s can be used to extract information, or shut down a system. Costa Rica believes that the culprit of the cyber attack, should be tried and dealt with in the same manners as a culprit of the physical equivalent crime would, i.e., if a virus is set to actions in order to gain classified intel, it should be dealt with in the same way as if i spy, with the same intentions, would be if caught.
In order to prevent future cyber warfare, Costa Rica suggests treaties to be signed, establishing the criteria of cyber warfare, how it should be punished, and to respect other nation’s cyber boundaries as well as their physical. Cyber warfare, in the end, will have the same devastating effect as a traditional war would, and so we must treat it as one, as well as exercising the same precautions in order to prevent it.
