BANGLADESH INSTITUTE OF INTERNATIONAL AND STRATEGIC STUDIES

SECURITISATION OF CYBERSPACE IN BIMSTEC: NORMS SETTING AND CAPACITY BUILDING

Author: Mohammad Sohrab Hossain

DOI Link: https://www.doi.org/10.56888/BIISSj2022v43n4a2

ABSTRACT

Rapid changes happening in cyberspace are influencing geoeconomic and geopolitical orders around the globe. The BIMSTEC countries are also looking forward to establishing a data-driven economy. Ecommerce has already become a buzzword in the industrial dictionary and an increasing trend of e-commerce can be seen in the BIMSTEC countries. Cyberspace has become a significant means for wealth creation, employment generation, and leveraging technological capacity. The paper argues that the securitisation of cyberspace in the BIMSTEC region would bring a political commitment to act collectively to transform the cyberspace of the BIMSTEC region into a common good and face emerging cyber threats collectively. This paper is an endeavour to understand the expansion of cyberspace in the BIMSTEC countries, assess the security threats for cyberspace in the countries of the organisation, and develop a regional framework for BIMSTEC countries for the securitisation of cyberspace in the region.