October 26th, 2010 by Jason

In an article titled “Democracy in Cyberspace” published in Foreign Affairs, Ian Bremmer argues that while the internet provides a tool for reformers and democracy advocates, it is not a silver bullet: “Innovations in modern communications may help erode authoritarian power over time. But for the moment, their impact on international politics is not so easy to predict.” Bremmer makes the point that “tools are value neutral; there is nothing inherently pro-democratic about them. To use them is to exercise a form of freedom, but it is not necessarily a freedom that promotes the freedom of others.” The internet is a “dark place” Bremmer says, where the power of communication can be used to promote illiberal values as easily as democratic ideals.

There is also the problem of nations “rethink[ing] their definitions of ‘critical infrastructure.’” The increasing importance of the internet to the world economy and the security implications of “cyber warfare” are causing some governments to treat the internet as a space to be defended and controlled. “The result will be a world that has not one Internet but a set of interlinked intranets closely monitored by various governments […] American and European users will access the same Internet as before, but the Chinese government has already made clear its intention to declare sovereignty over an Internet of its own. Other authoritarian states have every incentive to follow its lead.”

Posted in Democracy Promotion, Freedom, Technology |