Striking Back: The End of Peace in Cyberspace - And How to Restore It

by Lucas Kello

Faced with relentless technological aggression in the twenty-first century, how can Western nations fight back to protect national security and preserve international stability?

Before the cyber age, foreign interference in Western democratic politics played out in a comparatively narrow arena--limited to the realm of print and broadcast. The explosive expansion of cyberspace has radically altered this situation. The hacking activities of Russian military agents in the 2016 US presidential election and other major incidents demonstrate the magnitude of the contemporary problem and the sophistication of foreign adversaries' offensive strategy. This is a struggle that the West is losing.

Lucas Kello delves into recent history to reveal the failures of present policy in preventing and punishing cyberattacks and other forms of technological aggression. Drawing upon case studies and interviews with decisionmakers, Kello develops a bold new solution: a concentrated and coordinated retaliation strategy to deter further antagonism. This book provides an approachable yet nuanced exploration of national security challenges in an era of intense technological rivalry.

Genres: Politics, Nature, Military Fiction

288 pages, Hardcover

Published September 27, 2022

Reviews

[Abhivyakti · Rating 5 out of 5]

Kello's engaging prose skillfully navigated and presented a comprehensive overview of how the very definition of war has undergone a remarkable evolution over the past century. The author's exploration of cyberscape as a new frontier for geopolitical struggles is timely. As a student deeply interested in international relations and cyberspace, I found the book invaluable while writing a paper for my academic purposes. The case studies of how each region is dealing with this new region of conflict were interesting.

[Remo · Rating 2 out of 5]

This could have been a journal article, albeit a not particularly good one. The book promises that "Kello develops a bold new solution: a concentrated and coordinated retaliation strategy to deter further antagonism." Nope. Lot of history on failures to respond adequately to cyber attacks, but no bold solutions. The audiobook was terrible; perhaps reading the written word would have been better, but not by much. This might be interesting to an academic, but I was disappointed.

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Having read Kello's last book, I was looking forward to this new one. It delves more deeply into strategy and policy challenges of cybersecurity. There's a lot of innovative thinking in here.

[Gloria · Rating 5 out of 5]

A thought-provoking book. Lots of interesting ideas and recommendations for strategy and policy.

[Aman · Rating 1 out of 5]

Huntington without the ideas, Fukuyama without the sensitivity, Mearsheimer without the focus.