Enhancing International Cooperation in Cyberspace
News | July 16, 2013
The EastWest Institute’s New York Center hosted “Enhancing International Cooperation for Law Enforcement for Cyber Crime,” an off-the-record briefing, with James Creighton, chief operating officer, EWI; Bruce McConnell, acting deputy undersecretary, Department of Homeland Security; Karl Rauscher, distinguished fellow and chief technology officer, EWI; and a visiting delegation from the Socialists and Democrats Group in the European Parliament represented by Hannes Swoboda, president and Dr. Libor Rouček, vice president.
“In no other area of security are the rules undefined,” McConnell said, making the point that without agreed-upon guidelines, critical infrastructure systems across the globe are at stake and financial and political stability are continually threatened. Discussions continued on ways that EWI, with its unique history of building trust between nations, can help make significant progress in fighting cyber crime and avoiding global misunderstandings and tensions. The European delegation emphasized the U.S.-EU alliance and hopes for improved cyber cooperation despite recent strains.
Participants stated that one of the main roadblocks to significant progress is the gap between the rapid pace of technology and the slow pace of policy approvals. One reason is that lack of familiarity with rapid technological advances often overwhelms and confuses uninformed policymakers. All agreed that there must be a bridge between these two arenas and that dialogue is a key component.