Cyber Warfare And Evolving Digital Geopolitics

Authored by: Adv Kavita N Solunke, (BA, BSL, LLM, GDC&A, PG(ADR), STAR Cyber Crime Intervention Officer, (CCIO), Additional Government Pleader, Arbitrator, Mediator, High Court of Mumbai & Notary Govt of India

&

Dr Rashmi Solunke, M.B.B.S., DNB (Anaesthesia), Aakash Healthcare Super Speciality Hospital, Dwarka, New Delhi

Published on: 27th  March 2026

Abstract

Cyber warfare has moved from the margins of defence policy to the centre of contemporary security and statecraft. As states weaponise cyberspace for espionage, disruption and coercive signalling, traditional concepts of sovereignty, deterrence and the law of armed conflict are placed under sustained strain. This paper examines the evolution of cyber warfare, its integration into great‑power rivalry and regional conflicts, and the emergence of a distinct “digital geopolitics” in which infrastructure, data and standards become strategic terrain. It then analyses the developing international legal framework, with particular emphasis on the Tallinn Manual project and current debates on sovereignty, due diligence and state responsibility in cyberspace. Finally, it sketches key trends including AI‑enabled operations, critical‑infrastructure targeting and India’s new Joint Doctrine for Cyberspace Operations and outlines policy imperatives for managing escalation and building a more stable cyber order.

Keywords: Cyber warfare, digital geopolitics, cybersecurity, Tallinn Manual, international law, state responsibility, cyber deterrence, India cyber doctrine, critical infrastructure, artificial intelligence

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