ABSTRACT

The debate with regard to cyber security is becoming comprehensive and holistic, including in less resourceful countries. In these countries, increasingly both the state and nonstate actors have been active in providing governance solutions to the cyber environment. In this light, this chapter seeks to analyze how uncertainties arising from cyber technologies, international obligations, and fragmentation of authority have led to sharing of responsibilities among the public and private actors in managing the governance and sovereignty over cyberspace. The chapter hypothesizes that cyber uncertainties have opened opportunities for the states to reclaim their sovereignty, but at the same time have led to fragmentation of authority and accountability and thus of sovereignty as regards the cyberspace. With the fragmented authority and accountability, a space for a multi-actor approach is established, leading to pluralism in sovereignty actors. The chapter uses a country case study approach by focusing specifically on the case of Albania. For this purpose, its process traces the developments and reviews Albanian public discourses.