A Cyberattack Campaign for Syria

[Commentary] Syrians lost access to the Internet for the second time in a month. While the Assad regime claims the lapses were the result of a faulty network link, the evidence suggests that they were deliberate efforts by the government to hamper the opposition’s ability to communicate inside the country and with the outside world.

As American policy makers debate additional measures to pressure President Bashar al-Assad and aid moderate elements of the opposition, they should consider a military cybercampaign to give Syrians the ability to communicate freely online. Doing so would serve our strategic interests, while also demonstrating a principled commitment to Internet freedom. With a guarantee of secure Internet access points, opposition groups would be able to link their terrestrial and wireless networks with those of like-minded groups. This would enable them to reach deeper into the country, giving broad sections of the Syrian populace Internet access. And because the United States would be able to monitor those networks, we could make sure that moderate opposition elements would be the primary beneficiaries.

There are few good options available to address the Assad regime’s slaughter of its own people. But that doesn’t mean the rest of the world is powerless. A well-executed cybercampaign could greatly strengthen the opposition, undermine the Syrian government, promote ideals of free speech and assembly, and help shape the strategic environment in the region for years to come — all at the same time.

[Finan, a former adviser to the Obama administration on cybersecurity, is a consultant for the Department of Defense and a fellow at the Truman National Security Project.]