Bill French Quoted on North Korea Cyberattack by IBTimes

Is The North Korea Cyberattack On Sony An Act Of War?

By Horward Koplowitz 
December 22, 2014 | International Business Times

President Barack Obama’s declaration Sunday that the North Korean attack on Sony Pictures Entertainment was an act of “cyber vandalism” and not an act of war has far-reaching implications for the U.S. response to the crippling hack that led Sony to cancel the release of the comedy film “The Interview.” Not only was the president correct in his assessment of the incident, experts said, but characterizing the attack as “cyber vandalism” and not war minimizes the chances of escalation between the two countries.

The North Korean cyberattack wasn’t an act of war because no violence was inflicted and Americans’ physical security wasn’t in danger by Sony having its computer systems attacked and emails leaked, national security experts said. Even the hackers’ threatening 9/11-style attacks if theaters played the movie didn’t constitute an act of war, regardless of whether they had that capability, the experts said.

“At least in the Western tradition … war and acts of war have to involve violent acts that are designed to compel enemies to accept your will,” said Bill French, a policy analyst at the National Security Network, a progressive think tank based in Washington, D.C. “It’s certainly true that there was some threat of violence, but the threat of violence isn’t an act of war. If there was an act of violence, it would be an act of war.”

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Photo Credit: Flickr Calflier001, 10/23/12.