The COVID-19 pandemic has only heightened geostrategic competition, with a rise in tensions most acute in the Indo-Pacific. Security challenges are dynamic in this new era and not confined to the traditional domains of conflict. Indo-Pacific states are amongst the leaders of this digital age, spurring the growth of technological developments in a range of areas, including 5G and artificial intelligence (AI).
The malign use of cyber capabilities has also been on frequent display. Several key elections, including ones in the United States and Taiwan, have demonstrated how certain actors are looking to disrupt and interfere with democratic processes. Misinformation and information warfare, in addition to other cyber-attacks, present a significant risk to a free and open Indo-Pacific and beyond.
In this context, Canada still lacks a well-considered and clearly articulated framework for addressing immediate security needs and planning for longer-term requirements. A cybersecurity gap insidiously and routinely undermines Canadian safety, security, and prosperity. Canada needs a coherent vision and comprehensive policy for cybersecurity that actively and aggressively deters aggression and defends our interests.
To shed light on these issues, MLI hosted an event with experts from like-minded countries to discuss the cybersecurity challenges facing the Indo-Pacific.
Speakers
Keynote Remarks:
- H.E. Kawamura Yasuhisa, Ambassador of Japan to Canada
Jonathan Berkshire Miller, Senior Fellow and Director of the Indo-Pacific Program at the Macdonald-Laurier Institute, moderated a panel discussion featuring:
- Motohiro Tsuchiya, Dean, Faculty of Policy Management and Professor, Graduate School of Media and Governance, Keio University
- Rafal Rohozinski, Principal and Chief Executive Officer, The SecDev Group
- Richard Fadden, Former National Security Advisor to the Prime Minister and Director of the Canadian Security Intelligence Service (CSIS), and Senior Advisor, Macdonald-Laurier Institute
- Bart Hogeveen, Head of Cyber Capacity Building – International Cyber Policy Centre, Australian Strategic Policy Institute (ASPI)
- Ainikki Riikonen, Research Assistant, Technology and National Security Program, Center for a New American Security (CNAS)
