Maturing International Cooperation to Address the Cyberspace Attack Attribution Problem

One of the most significant challenges to deterring attacks in cyberspace is the difficulty of identifying and attributing attacks to specific state or non-state actors. The lack of technical detection capability moves the problem into the legal realm; however, the lack of domestic and international cyberspace legislation makes the problem one of international cooperation. Past assessments have led to collective paralysis pending improved technical and legal advancements. This paper demonstrates, however, that any plausible path to meaningful defense in cyberspace must include a significant element of international cooperation and regime formation. The analytical approach diverges from past utilitarian-based assessments to understand the emerging regime, or implicit and explicit principles, norms, rules, and decision-making procedures, around which actor expectations are beginning to converge in the area of cyberspace attack attribution. The analysis applies a social-practice perspective of regime formation to identify meaningful normative and political recommendations. Various hypotheses of regime formation further tailor the recommendations to the current maturity level of international cooperation in this issue area. Examining international cooperation in cyberspace and methods for maturing international cooperation to establish attribution in other domains inform political mitigations to the problem of cyberspace attack attribution. Potential solutions are analyzed with respect to four recent cyberspace attacks to illustrate how improved international cooperation might address the problem. Finally, a counterfactual analysis, or thought experiment, of how these recommendations might have been applied in the case of rampant Chinese cyber espionage inform specific current and future opportunities for implementation. Although timing is difficult to predict, the growing frequency and scope of cyber attacks indicate the window of opportunity to address the problem before some form of cataclysmic event is closing

High-resolution assessment of air quality in urban areas—a business model perspective

The increasing availability of low-cost air quality sensors has led to novel sensing approaches. Distributed networks of low-cost sensors, together with data fusion and analytics, have enabled unprecedented, spatiotemporal resolution when observing the urban atmosphere. Several projects have demonstrated the potential of different approaches for high-resolution measurement networks ranging from static, low-cost sensor networks over vehicular and airborne sensing to crowdsourced measurements as well as ranging from a research-based operation to citizen science. Yet, sustaining the operation of such low-cost air quality sensor networks remains challenging because of the lack of regulatory support and the lack of an organizational framework linking these measurements to the official air quality network. This paper discusses the logical inclusion of lower-cost air quality sensors into the existing air quality network via a dynamic field calibration process, the resulting sustainable business models, and how this expansion can be self-funded

Girt by sea: understanding Australia’s maritime domains in a networked world

This study aims to provide the background, language and context necessary for an informed understanding of the challenges and dilemmas faced by those responsible for the efficacy of Australia’s maritime domain awareness system. Abstract Against a rapidly changing region dominated by the rise of China, India and, closer to home, Indonesia, Australia’s approaches to understanding its maritime domains will be influenced by strategic factors and diplomatic judgements as well as operational imperatives.  Australia’s alliance relationship with the United States and its relationships with regional neighbours may be expected to have a profound impact on the strength of the information sharing and interoperability regimes on which so much of Australia’s maritime domain awareness depends. The purpose of this paper is twofold.  First, it seeks to explain in plain English some of the principles, concepts and terms that maritime domain awareness practitioners grapple with on a daily basis.  Second, it points to a series of challenges that governments face in deciding how to spend scarce tax dollars to deliver a maritime domain awareness system that is necessary and sufficient for the protection and promotion of Australia’s national interests

Maritime confidence building measures in the South China Sea conference

ASPI hosted a conference on Maritime Confidence Building Measures (MCBMs) in the South China Sea, 12-13 August 2013 in  Sydney. The objective of the conference was to develop proposals for prospective MCBMs for the South China Sea.  This report includes speeches by Senator Bob Carr, then Australia’s Minister for Foreign Affairs, Professor Dr Hasjim Djalal, Senior Advisor to the Indonesian Minister for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries and Indonesian Naval Chief of Staff and VADM Ray Griggs, Australia’s Chief of Navy. Papers by Dr Sam Bateman, Australian National Centre for Ocean Resources and Security, University of Wollongong, Captain Justin Jones, Sea Power Centre – Australia and Mr Kwa Chong Guan, S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore further inform on the topic. The report contains a summary record of the conference and the Chairman’s final statement from the conference

Spartan Daily, May 9, 1994

Volume 102, Issue 64https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/spartandaily/8564/thumbnail.jp

Launching the Grand Challenges for Ocean Conservation

The ten most pressing Grand Challenges in Oceans Conservation were identified at the Oceans Big Think and described in a detailed working document:A Blue Revolution for Oceans: Reengineering Aquaculture for SustainabilityEnding and Recovering from Marine DebrisTransparency and Traceability from Sea to Shore:  Ending OverfishingProtecting Critical Ocean Habitats: New Tools for Marine ProtectionEngineering Ecological Resilience in Near Shore and Coastal AreasReducing the Ecological Footprint of Fishing through Smarter GearArresting the Alien Invasion: Combating Invasive SpeciesCombatting the Effects of Ocean AcidificationEnding Marine Wildlife TraffickingReviving Dead Zones: Combating Ocean Deoxygenation and Nutrient Runof

Can the G-20 Save the Environment? Potential Impact of the G-20 on International Environmental Policy

The G-20 was created to deal with the global financial and economic crisis of 2008. G-20 leaders were successful – the crisis was contained. Should the G-20 leaders move on to deal with the most difficult and hitherto intractable global environmental policy issues? The United Nations has not been up to the task; can the G-20 fill the vacuum? This paper reviews the criteria for issues to be included on the G-20 leaders’ agenda and provides a tour d’horizon appraising the state of the global environment. It also includes some “Global Footprint” statistics demonstrating the current global unsustainable rates of consumption. Based on the G-20 agenda criteria, of ten global environmental issues, only climate change qualifies for consideration. Annex I canvasses the status of nine other specific dimensions of the global environment – Water, Forests, Biodiversity and Land Use Management, Air Pollution, Waste Management, Ozone Layer Depletion, Oceans, Fisheries and Population. The paper describes the inadequacy and fragmentation of present institutional arrangements. The concluding section provides conjectures and recommendations on a pragmatic approach for G-20 engagement with climate change and outlines a package of initiatives, with each element arguably being in every G-20 country’s national interest. Elements of the package include “no regrets” actions, eliminating fossil fuel subsidies, standards, R&D collaboration and security of supply arrangements. The G-20 could also help rationalize the jumbled melange of international environmental organizations and catalyze the creation of effective governance institutions and mechanisms