Crossroads Blog | CYBER SECURITY LAW AND POLICY

Current Affairs

Newt Threatens China and Russia With Cyberwar: Wired

Ok, I know, rhetoric during primary season means little, but I couldn't help myself.  

On Jan. 25th, 2012, Noah Schachtman reported for Wired on a series of controversial comments from Newt Gingrich, the new front-runner for the Republican nomination for president.  I picked up on this article because I've rarely heard Republican candidates talk about cyber-security so frankly.   The Wired article quoted Gingrich as saying "I think that we have to treat state-based covert activities as the equivalent of acts of war."  In essence, Gingrich is saying that cyber-espionage (you know, the kind we experience everyday) should be an act of war.  Most would agree that cyber-espionage is, of course, not an act of war.  

The article also quoted Gingrich as saying that the US should "wage real cyber warfare against Iran", "a cyber Pearl Harbor is not a question of if, but when", and that the US should wage cyber-war against Russia and China if both countries continue to "play games."  

If Gingrich does get the nod, it will be interesting to see if he maintains his stance on cyber-security or moderates it.  Those are some bold comments.

You can find the Wired source article here.

Leave a Reply