ABSTRACT
This chapter summarizes a number of theoretically oriented assertions on power and security in the digital age. It addresses the pertinent question of the impact of the information revolution on the power of the territorial state. The chapter interrogates under what circumstances the information revolution might strengthen or weaken the power and security of states. It outlines a conceptual framework for the study of digital power. The chapter reaches beyond the basic observations that the information age may expand the scope, domain, resources, and means of state power. It argues that the governmental capability of information warfare is the single most important dimension of digital power. Power disparity in cyberspace may also have a different logic than power disparity in the offline world. In terms of role identity, the general observation made here is that established offline identities largely correspond to identities in cyberspace. The chapter discusses the network society rankings for Sweden, the United States, Estonia, and Russia.
