چكيده لاتين
Abstract
Cyber diplomacy, as one of the emerging phenomena in international relations over the past few decades, has attracted increasing attention, particularly among major powers such as the United States, Russia, and China. This form of diplomacy, which can be considered a type of public diplomacy based on the Internet and virtual space, pursues diverse objectives, including influencing the culture of other societies, aligning them with the policies of a specific government, organizing protest movements through social media, mobilizing opposition forces in cyberspace, and gathering information on the social and political alignments of target countries.
The information revolution in the post–Cold War era and the emergence of the concept of “networked space” or “virtual geography” have fundamentally altered the tools and functions of power in the international system. The central research question of this study is: “What role do cyber diplomacy strategies of the United States, Russia, and China play in shaping developments in the international system?” The research hypothesis posits that these three countries, through the use of cyber diplomacy, seek to attract new allies and exert influence over international affairs.
To analyze this issue, a theoretical framework based on Actor-Network Theory (ANT) has been employed. This theory reflects the interactions between international relations and modern communication technologies in the era of Internet globalization and digital services. The research methodology is comparative and relies on library-based data collection.
The findings indicate that traditional diplomacy alone is insufficient to meet the demands of contemporary international relations, which has driven the United States, Russia, and China to increasingly exploit the capacities of cyber diplomacy. The study reveals that in today’s world, international relations are no longer the exclusive domain of states; rather, a combination of governments, public opinion, and information-communication technologies shapes power dynamics. Within this framework, the United States has made significant investments in cyber diplomacy since the 1990s; China, from 2014 onward, has sought to establish a special position in the international system by defining and promoting global norms in cyberspace; and Russia has developed its cyber diplomacy in three distinct phases, ranging from preventing the militarization of cyberspace to negotiating bilateral agreements.
These trends clearly demonstrate that cyber diplomacy has become a strategic instrument for redefining and redistributing power in the international arena.
Keywords: Public diplomacy, Foreign policy, Cyber diplomacy, Soft power, America, Russia, China
