Topic: Militarization of the Internet
Country: Nigeria
Delegate Name: Chris Evans
School: Mattawan High School
Topic page: background guide and all position papers All Nigeria position papers GLIMUN 2013 committees
The militarization of the internet has become an increasingly potent threat toward the stability and security of the world. Many nations and non-State actors have been involved with cyber warfare, and multiple of these occasions have ended with less than pleasant outcomes. As a result, many countries have felt obligated to increase their own national cyber security. The militarization of the internet allows smaller, less influential nations the ability to conduct potentially crippling cyber attacks on major world powers. This new phenomenon is just one of the examples of how developing technology has changed the way that nations interact. The issue of the militarization of the internet has been growing in prominence and must be addressed.
Nigeria is familiar with the threat of cyber warfare, having had multiple internal threats in the past year. Official Nigerian Government websites have been the targets of these attacks, so Nigerian officials have had to exponentially increase their cyber security. Nigeria is aware of constantly changing nature of this issue, and therefore leans towards a multilateral approach. With the input of many nations, the Disarmament and International Security Committee will be able to develop a well rounded approach to this issue. With the threat of cyber attacks being all too real, Nigeria fully supports the discussion of this topic.
Currently, many nations have their own definitions of what qualifies as cyber warfare, which is obviously a facet of this problem that must be addressed. In order to control this problem internationally, each and every nation must agree to what the specifics of the issue actually are. This will allow the United Nations to more effectively handle this problem in the future. Also, it is often difficult to distinguish between the rogue actions of an individual or non-state group, and those sanctioned by states. A process must be established of how the international community determines this, as well as how they enforce consequences. The ability of the United Nations to have a consistent and reliable method of judging situations will prove to be crucial in the future of controlling cyber warfare. Nigeria is eager to work alongside its fellow nations in order to create a wholesome and well rounded solution to this immensely important issue of the militarization of the internet.
