Can Fragile States Maintain Cybersecurity?

Abstract

Each year, Foreign Policy publishes the Fragile States Index, which ranks nation-states’ sustainability in terms of political, economic, and social systems, as well as internal cohesion and the existence of external intervention. Sustainability and cybersecurity are topics of current interest, but they are rarely discussed together. It is pertinent to investigate whether fragile states can maintain cybersecurity during an era of disruptive technologies and as their economies experience digital transformation. In our global society, cybersecurity is an increasing concern. Our study compares the countries on the 2021 Fragile States Index with rankings on the National Cyber Power Index published by the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard University. The most fragile states are not well prepared in the realm of cybersecurity. We identify how various indicators on the Fragile States relate to cybersecurity capacity building. This introductory paper is the first in a series.