The cyberspace affects every aspect of our society. It generates economic, social, and political developments, and the pace of change is unlikely to decrease anytime soon. The evolution of cyberspace raises countless questions, and the need for answers to these is urgent.

In stark contrast to other fields, scholars of international relations seem to be navigating uncharted waters when it comes to cyberspace. This realm challenges traditional state-centric concepts such as national security, diplomacy, balance of power, and governance.

In the field of cyberspace, international relations scholars must look to the near future with sufficient discipline to discern limitations and avoid generalizations, while also employing ample imagination to identify upcoming developments. Similarly, they must examine the past with a critical eye to draw useful conclusions and distinguish between elements of continuity and discontinuity.

This book seeks to capture and explain the ways in which the revolution in information technology impacts the shaping of the global order. In this context, it analyzes the dynamic relationships and interactions between cyberspace and the global order—regarding concepts such as governance, democracy, privacy, security, state sovereignty, hegemony, power, digital authoritarianism, and geopolitical competition.