Cyber issues have become increasingly central in international affairs and the breadth of issues discussed under this rubric has grown, including questions of peace and conflict, the fight against cybercrime and controversies around internet governance. In this context, three issue characteristics have affected the practice of cyber diplomacy.

First, cybersecurity retains a strong technical undercurrent that not only poses a challenge to conventional diplomatic skills but also introduces a distinct temporal quality. Reflecting broader trends in digital connectivity, cybersecurity evolves at the speed of technology, contributing to the transient nature of diplomatic practices, the limits of which are "constantly being renegotiated". These conceptual ambiguities have imbued cyber governance with a distinct political dynamic, offering ample opportunity for varied policy solutions to find "rhetorical shelter".

Second, perceptions of the stakes involved are equally evolving, with initial concerns about cyber war and cyberterrorism being supplemented with a focus on attacks below the level of armed attack. Relatedly, dichotomies across cybercrime and international security are blurring as cybercriminals are enlisted in state-sponsored campaigns.

Third, cyber issues exhibit a cross-cutting nature that breaches institutional and epistemic boundaries, calling into action a swath of actors across the public-private divide and requiring coordination across knowledge domains, including technical, legal and policy knowledge.

Johann Ole Willers, Lars Gjesvik. Cybersecurity as an issue of international affairs.

In: Diplomacy in the age of expertise: the case of cyber diplomacy.

International Affairs, Oxford University Press, fev./2026.

Internet: <academic.oup.com> (adapted).