New technology, old strategy: Cyberspace and the international politics of African agency

In this article, we offer a theoretical framework explaining how African actors achieve influence in cyberspace despite possessing comparatively limited cyber capabilities. We argue that digital technology is characterized by low costs, rapid diffusion, and limited coercive utility. We argue these characteristics serve as antecedent conditions amplifying strategies of capability acquisition and partner diversification African elites have long used to limit foreign influence and pursue local political objectives. We illustrate our argument through comparative case studies of Ethiopia's acquisition of digital infrastructure and surveillance technology and information operations in support of the Libyan warlord Khalifa Haftar.