Cyber Attack as a Tool to Influence Foreign Policy A Comparative Study of Russia’s Cyber-Attacks on Estonia and Georgia

Abstract

In recent years, cyber warfare deployment has formed part of the integral discourse in international affairs between states and foreign policy interactions. This study examines Russia’s deployment of cyberattack as a warfare strategy aimed at influencing other states' behavior as well as asserting its dominance in its geopolitical space against the Western alliance. Cyberwarfare strategy in the context of this study is aligned with the proponents of ‘sharp power’ mechanisms in state interactions. The study conducted a comparative study of Russia’s cyberattacks on Estonia in 2007 and Georgia in 2008. The objective of the study is to look at the implications of Russia’s cyberattacks on both Estonia and Georgia and how successful these attacks have been in shaping the foreign policy objective of Russia, and by extension, influenced the domestic behavior of Estonia and Georgia.