Cyber Politics in South Asia: Navigating the Digital Battleground

Abstract

The cyber domain in South Asia has proven to be a tumultuous field for three major players Pakistan, India, and Chinese. The paper attempts to understand how cyber politics has shaped cyberspace and why these actors behave the way they do. Through comparative research analysis, the paper has found that cyber politics in South Asia is competitive rather than cooperative where nation-states have weaponized cyberspace and turned it into a battleground. Though most cyber hostilities are largely limited to web defacements and cyber espionage, these activities have hampered the cyber stability of the region. This is in large part due to the “Anonymous” trait of the cyber domain where cyber actors are incentivized to take hostile actions, as there is a lower cost of action and the probability of escalation is low. Conflict in the cyber domain is largely composed of unknown actors who operate globally and independently of state actors. In this “environment, " South Asia has seen major cyber projects like the Digital Silk Road, which has provided hardened cyber connectivity between traditional allies of China and Pakistan. This has led to a shrinking cyberspace for India as it faces cyber threats from Pakistan and China.