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Security and Professional Intelligence Education Series
Shadow Warfare: Cyberwar Policy in the United States, Russia and China
Cyberwarfare—like the seismic shift of policy with nuclear warfare—is modifying warfare into non-war warfare. A few distinctive characteristics of cyberwar emerge and blur the distinction between adversary and ally. Cyber probes continuously occur between allies and enemies alike, causing cyberespionage to merge with warfare. Espionage—as old as war itself—has technologically merged with acts of cyberwar as states threaten each other with prepositioned malware in each other’s cyberespionage-probed infrastructure. These two cyber shifts to warfare are agreed upon and followed by the United States, Russia, and China. What is not agreed upon in this shifting era of warfare are the policies on which cyberwarfare is based. In Shadow Warfare, Elizabeth Van Wie Davis charts these policies in three key actors and navigates the futures of policy on an international stage. Essential reading for students of war studies and security professionals alike.
265 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 28, 2021
14 people want to read
About the author
Elizabeth Van Wie Davis
6 books3 followersElizabeth Van Wie Davis is an expert on Asian geopolitics, and also serves as the director of the Division of Liberal Arts and International Studies at the Colorado School of Mines. She is the author of numerous books on Chinese and Asian political and diplomatic issues, most recently Ruling, Resources and Religion in China (2012).
She received her undergraduate education from Shimer College, where she enrolled after two years of high school via the early entrance program. Her Shimer studies included a year in the school's Oxford University study program. She subsequently received an MA and Ph.D. from the University of Virginia, and taught at the University of Virginia, Mary Baldwin College, Illinois State University, Johns Hopkins University, and the Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies. She joined the School of Mines in 2009. (source: Shimer College Wiki)
She received her undergraduate education from Shimer College, where she enrolled after two years of high school via the early entrance program. Her Shimer studies included a year in the school's Oxford University study program. She subsequently received an MA and Ph.D. from the University of Virginia, and taught at the University of Virginia, Mary Baldwin College, Illinois State University, Johns Hopkins University, and the Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies. She joined the School of Mines in 2009. (source: Shimer College Wiki)
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
February 9, 2023
To be honest this is more of a 3.5 stars but when rounded it is closer to 3 stars than 4.
Book is about organizations in USA, Russia and China tasked with conduction of offensive and defensive cyber operations, policies governing them, definitions of the cyber conflicts, what makes it different and what makes it natural extension of military conflict followed by descriptions of actual actions executed by formations from these three countries.
Book reads like a textbook, but I am OK with it, author manages to give lots of information on structure of forces, what you might call signature tactics and constant who-done-it tracking of the events and mutual raiding and trying to avoid escalations.
Now you might say, why then 3 .5 stars? Because author wrote a book that wont age so good. Considering that it was published in 2021 it is surprising how author insists on election interference of 2016 (although latest information shows that there was no election interference, people got tired of always the same thing and chose something completely different - no matter how painful that might be for certain individuals from opposing block), Brexit interference (again, it is now known that what Brexit supporters aimed for was propaganda but this all originated from UK - I mean they even said they exaggerated for the effect, especially for money EU was "taking" from UK, people bought it (those against Brexit were indisposed and upset - standard intelligentsia sickness - and did not go out to vote)) and events in 2014 (certain foreign secretary from US was recorded when she was discussing about EU feedback - I think her response says everything).
Whenever author talks about surveillance of population in China (facial recognition, tracking, social scoring) it is all big-bad-wolf but then there is always a shy comment in form of very short sentence how US (or West in general) did almost the same thing during the pandemic years (dont say! If I am wrong they plan to progress with it even long after it, those digital IDs and centralized account management etc).
And then there is always that weird need for something esoteric. When Russia is in question, well if you did not know Orthodox Church is basically policy maker (and any nationalist philosopher with religious inclinations plays the role and adds his or hers comments). I had to re-read this multiple times to be sure author did not make some mistake. Apparently no. How powerful is Orthodox Church you ask? Very if you trust the author - apparently because Russian army has their own cathedral (!?!). It seems author has no clue about societies that are very religious (I wander what would she say about Spain, Franco and say Spanish Foreign Legion Easter festivities when they sing Bridegrooms of Death song and carry very religious paraphernalia after mass in cathedral? or maybe Pope runs Italian DOD policy? I mean, come on), but considering current state of affairs I am not surprised - people live in their own bubbles and are severely biased and generally do not see parallels between their countries and oh those baddy baddies (well, yes, everybody says they are!).
For China it is, now almost classical, buzzwords like assassin-mace and that poor fellow Sun Tzu because hey it is East, misty mountains and stuff, I mean in Warcraft far East is always world of mystery - right?
Those are reasons why 3.5 and ultimately 3 stars.
For technical part about actual cyber warfare it is very informative book. For everything else (political comment) unfortunately it is utterly ridiculous.
Book is about organizations in USA, Russia and China tasked with conduction of offensive and defensive cyber operations, policies governing them, definitions of the cyber conflicts, what makes it different and what makes it natural extension of military conflict followed by descriptions of actual actions executed by formations from these three countries.
Book reads like a textbook, but I am OK with it, author manages to give lots of information on structure of forces, what you might call signature tactics and constant who-done-it tracking of the events and mutual raiding and trying to avoid escalations.
Now you might say, why then 3 .5 stars? Because author wrote a book that wont age so good. Considering that it was published in 2021 it is surprising how author insists on election interference of 2016 (although latest information shows that there was no election interference, people got tired of always the same thing and chose something completely different - no matter how painful that might be for certain individuals from opposing block), Brexit interference (again, it is now known that what Brexit supporters aimed for was propaganda but this all originated from UK - I mean they even said they exaggerated for the effect, especially for money EU was "taking" from UK, people bought it (those against Brexit were indisposed and upset - standard intelligentsia sickness - and did not go out to vote)) and events in 2014 (certain foreign secretary from US was recorded when she was discussing about EU feedback - I think her response says everything).
Whenever author talks about surveillance of population in China (facial recognition, tracking, social scoring) it is all big-bad-wolf but then there is always a shy comment in form of very short sentence how US (or West in general) did almost the same thing during the pandemic years (dont say! If I am wrong they plan to progress with it even long after it, those digital IDs and centralized account management etc).
And then there is always that weird need for something esoteric. When Russia is in question, well if you did not know Orthodox Church is basically policy maker (and any nationalist philosopher with religious inclinations plays the role and adds his or hers comments). I had to re-read this multiple times to be sure author did not make some mistake. Apparently no. How powerful is Orthodox Church you ask? Very if you trust the author - apparently because Russian army has their own cathedral (!?!). It seems author has no clue about societies that are very religious (I wander what would she say about Spain, Franco and say Spanish Foreign Legion Easter festivities when they sing Bridegrooms of Death song and carry very religious paraphernalia after mass in cathedral? or maybe Pope runs Italian DOD policy? I mean, come on), but considering current state of affairs I am not surprised - people live in their own bubbles and are severely biased and generally do not see parallels between their countries and oh those baddy baddies (well, yes, everybody says they are!).
For China it is, now almost classical, buzzwords like assassin-mace and that poor fellow Sun Tzu because hey it is East, misty mountains and stuff, I mean in Warcraft far East is always world of mystery - right?
Those are reasons why 3.5 and ultimately 3 stars.
For technical part about actual cyber warfare it is very informative book. For everything else (political comment) unfortunately it is utterly ridiculous.
Displaying 1 of 1 review