Students’ research. Incentives for Non-State Actors (Large Western Technology Companies) to Engage in Interstate Conflicts: the Case of the Russian invasion of Ukraine

Project idea

With the outbreak of a large-scale war in Ukraine in 2022, it has become clear that the state alone, without the help of private entities, will not be able to provide comprehensive digital protection for the country's critical infrastructure, data and sensitive information. As the world becomes increasingly interconnected and as an ever-growing amount of critical state data is stored in the digital space, cybersecurity is becoming a crucial factor. To date, the role of transnational non-state actors operating in digital space in warfare has not been explored, as the importance of major Western technology companies in large-scale armed conflicts has never been as prominent as it is now.

Research problem: large private Western technology companies are gaining more influence and power in the international system, as they have a significant impact on the digital defence of a country (in this case, Ukraine) and on the conduct of war. By contributing to virtual defence through the strengthening of cybersecurity and the boycott of russia* (*spelling is intentional), technology companies can also change the course of the conflict. The war against Ukraine thus prompts us to explore this unprecedented behaviour of non-state actors in wars. In the case of this conflict, the companies' choice to support the Ukrainian side is to the benefit of the Western powers, but it is not clear how such an action would look in the future when the boundaries between just and unjust wars may be less clear. Therefore, before explaining the influence such companies may have on future interstate conflicts, it is necessary to clarify the motivations and incentives of these actors. The pilot study will use cost-benefit analysis to identify the main motivations of international Western technology companies. The results of such a model would help to decide which theory could be applied to a broader study. Whilst some theories would identify the pursuit of profit as the main incentive, others would identify not only material but a value-driven motivations too.