I have to present a proposal on the subject of a topic which is how cyber warfare is changing the conflict landscape and I want to understand the causal mechanisms that underline it.
I need development of
1) a research question – I have listed a research question below but it needs to be defined
2) is this research question part of a broader research question
3) data – I need data sources
4) research design
4a) what research methods can be used for this research question(s) – can you list and briefly outline the different methods
4b) what quantitative research methods can I use? regression modelling? please provide any models
5) what are the dependent and independent variables?
6) hypothesis
7) definitions
8) original visual representation of theoretical argument (I have added a graph to this order)
I have added a few notes below to questions asked during the course
What is your research question?
· How has the cyber weapon affected the kinetic conflict landscape since 2000?
Why is it important
· There is an increase in the use of cyber operations from State Actors and Non State actors. Want to test the theory that States are resorting to cyber operations instead of kinetic operations in order to achieve their military and political goals. Further, as these cyber operations are less visible, States will increase their use of cyber operations to further their objectives.
How do you situate it within the extant of literature?
· Literature is still developing
· Literature shows that academics are still developing theories on the notion of war and coercion in order to understand the cyber threat
What contribution is it making to existing literature?
· The contribution is to show the changing nature of the military and political landscape
