• Research
  • Emissary
  • About
  • Experts
Carnegie Global logoCarnegie lettermark logo
DemocracyIran
  • Donate
{
  "authors": [
    "Wyatt Hoffman",
    "Duncan Hollis",
    "Christian Ruhl"
  ],
  "type": "legacyinthemedia",
  "centerAffiliationAll": "dc",
  "centers": [
    "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace"
  ],
  "collections": [],
  "englishNewsletterAll": "ctw",
  "nonEnglishNewsletterAll": "",
  "primaryCenter": "Carnegie Endowment for International Peace",
  "programAffiliation": "TIA",
  "programs": [
    "Technology and International Affairs"
  ],
  "projects": [],
  "regions": [
    "North America",
    "United States",
    "Iran"
  ],
  "topics": [
    "Technology"
  ]
}

Source: Getty

In The Media

Cyber Norms Processes at a Crossroads

Rather than process fragmentation, the key challenges for cyber norms development derive from the structure of the cyber domain itself and the current alignment of incentives for state behavior.

Link Copied
By Wyatt Hoffman, Duncan Hollis, Christian Ruhl
Published on Feb 27, 2020
Program mobile hero image

Program

Technology and International Affairs

The Technology and International Affairs Program develops insights to address the governance challenges and large-scale risks of new technologies. Our experts identify actionable best practices and incentives for industry and government leaders on artificial intelligence, cyber threats, cloud security, countering influence operations, reducing the risk of biotechnologies, and ensuring global digital inclusion.

Learn More

Source: Lawfare Blog

In October 2019, a major cyberattack on the Republic of Georgia disrupted thousands of government, media and private websites in the country, highlighting the escalating scope of cyber aggression. The following day, the University of Pennsylvania’s Perry World House and the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace convened key stakeholders from academia, industry and policy for a workshop to assess the state of global cyber norms processes. We’ve compiled the takeaways from the workshop, which was held under Chatham House Rules, in a new report. The discussions indicated that while the splintering of cyber norms processes in recent years raises cause for concern, fragmented initiatives provide reason for optimism that norms will eventually solidify.

Last week, the United States, United Kingdom, Australia and a number of European states publicly condemned Russia for the Oct. 28 cyberattacks against Georgia, reportedly attributed to Russia’s military intelligence service, the GRU. A rare example of collective attribution, the condemnation follows a joint statement signed by the U.S. and 26 other states in September 2019 pledging to hold states accountable for “bad behavior in cyberspace.” While this response is a welcome development, such accusations remain a modest response to increasingly flagrant cyber aggression: Indiscriminate cyberattacks like NotPetya, malware targeting critical infrastructure and large-scale cyber-enabled disinformation campaigns all demonstrate the acute need to solidify rules of the road for cyber operations.

Read the full text

This was originally published by the Lawfare Blog.

About the Authors

Wyatt Hoffman

Former Senior Research Analyst, Cyber Policy Initiative

Wyatt Hoffman was a senior research analyst with the Nuclear Policy Program and the Cyber Policy Initiative at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

Duncan Hollis

Duncan B. Hollis is James E. Beasley Professor of Law at Temple University Law School. He is editor of the award-winning Oxford Guide to Treaties (Oxford University Press, 2012) as well as various articles on securing cyberspace, including (with Martha Finnemore) Constructing Norms for Global Cybersecurity, 110 American J. Int’l Law 425 (2016). Professor Hollis is a Non-Resident Scholar at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, an elected member of the American Law Institute, and a member of the OAS Inter-American Juridical Committee.

Christian Ruhl

Christian Ruhl is the program associate for Global Order at Perry World House, the University of Pennsylvania's hub for global affairs.

Authors

Wyatt Hoffman
Former Senior Research Analyst, Cyber Policy Initiative
Duncan Hollis

Duncan B. Hollis is James E. Beasley Professor of Law at Temple University Law School. He is editor of the award-winning Oxford Guide to Treaties (Oxford University Press, 2012) as well as various articles on securing cyberspace, including (with Martha Finnemore) Constructing Norms for Global Cybersecurity, 110 American J. Int’l Law 425 (2016). Professor Hollis is a Non-Resident Scholar at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, an elected member of the American Law Institute, and a member of the OAS Inter-American Juridical Committee.

Christian Ruhl

Christian Ruhl is the program associate for Global Order at Perry World House, the University of Pennsylvania's hub for global affairs.

TechnologyNorth AmericaUnited StatesIran

Carnegie does not take institutional positions on public policy issues; the views represented herein are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of Carnegie, its staff, or its trustees.

More Work from Carnegie Endowment for International Peace

  • Abstract image of China and AI
    Article
    China’s Pivot on Global AI

    Beijing’s AI diplomacy is pivoting from infrastructure and associated technical standards toward a more comprehensive effort aimed at recrafting global norms and institutions of AI governance.

      Arindrajit Basu

  • Commentary
    Strategic Europe
    Trump Turns NATO into a Tool of Coercion

    The full list of humiliations Europe has endured since Donald Trump returned to the White House makes for grim reading. But Washington’s adversarial approach to its allies undermines its own power base.

      • Rym Momtaz

      Rym Momtaz

  • Visualization of technology and democracy intersection
    Article
    Realizing the Potential Gains of AI-Enabled Deliberative Democracy

    Democratic institutions currently lack the capacity needed to govern AI-augmented deliberation in ways that serve democratic imperatives.

      • Micah Weinberg headshot

      Micah Weinberg

  • Climate desalination plant Saudi Arabia
    Paper
    Ecological Statecraft in the Midst of War: Water, Regeneration, and the Future of Gulf Security

    The U.S.-Iran war has crossed a dangerous threshold: water infrastructure in the Gulf is now a target. Ecological statecraft is no longer peripheral to security, it's part of its foundations.

      • Ali Bin Shahid

      Olivia Lazard, Ali Bin Shahid

  • Commentary
    Diwan
    Pushing Beirut into an Armed Conflict With Hezbollah Is Insane

    The party’s domestic and regional roles have changed, so Lebanon should devise a disarmament strategy that encompasses this.

      Michael Young

Get more news and analysis from
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
Carnegie global logo, stacked
1779 Massachusetts Avenue NWWashington, DC, 20036-2103Phone: 202 483 7600
  • Research
  • Emissary
  • About
  • Experts
  • Donate
  • Programs
  • Events
  • Blogs
  • Podcasts
  • Contact
  • Annual Reports
  • Careers
  • Privacy
  • For Media
  • Government Resources
Get more news and analysis from
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
© 2026 Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. All rights reserved.