Publication

This paper looks at the role of "swing states" in the debate over Internet governance that has taken place since the World Conference on International Telecommunications held in December 2012. More specifically it 1) discusses which types of states have reason and capacity to swing on the issue of internet governance; 2) takes a closer look at the 54 countries it expects are most likely to swing; and 3) identifies its top 30 swinging states. The authors define a “swing state in foreign policy” as a "state whose mixed political orientation gives it a greater impact than its population or economic output might warrant and that has the resources that enable it to decisively influence the trajectory of an international process.