Information Warfare and Neutrality

This Article examines Information Warfare--that is, actions taken to affect adversary information and information systems conducted during a crisis or conflict to achieve or promote specific objectives against the adversary. The Article begins with an explanation of the development and structure of the Internet. It then cites examples of the use of information strategies in recent conflicts. Next, the Article turns to a discussion of the principles of neutrality in the U.N. Charter era. Specifically, the Article examines neutrality in the context of land warfare, naval warfare, aerial warfare, and outer space. Next, the Author discusses application of principles from each of these neutrality contexts to Information Warfare, including additional analysis of the principles of self-defense, reprisals, and retorsions. The Author continues by exploring the difficulties in analogizing principles of neutrality, customary law, as well as treaty law to the information warfare context. Finally, the Author describes additional considerations that must be addressed in determining guiding principles of international law in the information age