Lectures and Trainings

   

The Lecture – “Ukraine 2014: Fiber Optics and Geopolitics”.

On April 10, 2014 the Georgian Foundation for Strategic and International Studies organized the lecture of Ambassador David J. Smith, Director of the Georgian Security Analysis Center at  GFSIS. Ambassador Smith delivered a presentation on the following topic:  "Ukraine 2014: Fiber Optics and Geopolitics." The presentation was based on the observations and research into the current Russian aggression against Ukraine.

 In his speech, Smith noted that the media was quick to report a "cyber war" and to draw analogies with the Russian attack on Georgia in 2008. According to him, the Ukrainian situation is different from that of Georgian in 2008. In Smith's view, what is going on in the Ukrainian crisis is more of a Russian information war plus the participation of hackers and criminals in the conflict. Social media is being used to spread information and to recruit people with computer skills to join one side or the other. The result is quite large distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks on both sides. Another phenomenon noted is the participation of hackers from outside of the region, particularly from the Middle East, joining one side or the other.

State activity in the cyber sphere will follow geopolitical requirements. Georgia in 2008 and Ukraine in 2014 differ in this regard. Solicited or unsolicited involvement of hackers on all sides, with the addition of participants from outside of the region, is an increasing aspect of modern conflicts.