Contested Cyberspace and Rising Powers

The United States of America developed the internet and has traditionally been at the forefront of cyberspace development. Cyberspace has played such a major role in our information and telecommunications based society and economy, so cybersecurity is a growing concern. BRICS is an acronym that stands for five major emerging economies, namely Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa. These countries are increasingly joining the United States in focusing on information security and cybersecurity. With cyberspace’s designation as the newest domain for international conflicts and warfare, the fact that rising powers are challenging the United States via certain foreign policies is an indicator of the shifting focus of political systems. This report looks at the policies, proposals, and declarations of BRICS countries (such as the 2003 Brasilia Declaration) since 1995 in order to examine the influence of values and political structures on the paths of various nations.