Problematizing Cyber Warfare

Author(s)	Helga Tawil-Souri
Contact	Helga Tawil-Souri, New York University, 50 S Washington Square, New York, NY 10012, USA. E-mail: helga@nyu.edu
Issue	CyberOrient, Vol. 9, Iss. 1, 2015, pp. 4-6
Published	May 10, 2015
Type	Editorial
Abstract	This special issue of CyberOrient engages with the relationships between "cyber" and "real" battlespaces, the mediatization of war, the need to expand our definition of warzones, and the importance of asking who participates in wars, to what ends, using what kinds of technologies, and for what purposes. Taken together, the five essays demonstrate the expansion and blurring of the spaces of war. As importantly, they highlight that even warfare that is "only" fought in the virtual realm is laced with violent intents and real-life repercussions. Not only can we not separate the cyber from the real so neatly, but we must not overlook that no matter how we wish to classify "new" or cyber wars, it is citizens, along with their ways of life and their cultural records, that continue to be by far the largest losers.
Keywords	Middle East, Syria, media studies, conflict, Palestine, cyber crime, hacking, Television