Le iniziative diplomatiche per il cyberspazio: punti di forza e di debolezza

Malicious activities conducted in cyberspace affect not only national and citizens security, but also peace and international stability. In order to limit the danger of politico-military escalation, international, regional and multilateral organisations such as the United Nations, the Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe and the G7 have launched several diplomatic and regulatory initiatives with the aim of improving multilateral cooperation and increasing trust and transparency between states in the cyber arena. One of the first initiatives was launched by the UN in the late 1990s and in the wake of the international détente following the fall of the Berlin Wall. In line with that, in 2012 the OSCE created an informal working group to develop a framework of measures to reduce the risks of conflict in the cyber domain. But how exactly do these diplomatic initiatives ensure international stability and security in cyberspace? What are the main strengths and weaknesses of these multilateral initiatives? And what can Italy’s role be in this context?

Study produced as part of the project “La geopolitica del digitale”, March 2021.