For more than a decade, the United States military has conceptualized and discussed the Internet and related systems as “cyberspace,” understood as a “domain” of conflict like land, sea, air, and outer space. How and why did this concept become entrenched in US doctrine? What are its effects? Focusing on the emergence and consolidation of this terminology, I make three arguments about the role of language in cybersecurity policy. First, I propose a new, politically consequential category of metaphor: foundational metaphors, implied by using particular labels rather than stated outright. These metaphors support specific ways to understand complex issues, provide discursive resources to some arguments over others, and shape policy contestation and outcomes. Second, I present a detailed empirical study of US military strategy and doctrine that traces the emergence and consolidation of terminology built on the “cyberspace domain.” This concept supported implicit metaphorical correspondences between the Internet and physical space, yielding specific analogies and arguments for understanding the Internet and its effects. Third, I focus on the rhetorical effects of this terminology to reveal two important institutional consequences: this language has been essential to expanding the military's role in cybersecurity, and specific interests within the Department of Defense have used this framework to support the creation of US Cyber Command. These linguistic effects in the United States also have implications for how other states approach cybersecurity, for how international law is applied to cyber operations, and for how International Relations understands language and technological change.

中文翻译：

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名字里有什么？隐喻和网络安全

十多年来，美国军方将互联网及相关系统概念化并讨论为“网络空间”，被理解为陆地、海洋、空中和外层空间等冲突的“领域”。这个概念是如何以及为什么在美国学说中根深蒂固的？它的作用是什么？着眼于这个术语的出现和巩固，我就语言在网络安全政策中的作用提出了三个论点。首先，我提出一个新的、具有政治意义的隐喻类别：基础隐喻，通过使用特定标签而不是直接说明来暗示。这些隐喻支持理解复杂问题的特定方法，为某些争论提供话语资源，并塑造政策争论和结果。其次，我对美国军事战略和学说进行了详细的实证研究，追溯了建立在“网络空间领域”基础上的术语的出现和整合。这一概念支持互联网和物理空间之间隐含的隐喻对应，为理解互联网及其影响提供了具体的类比和论据。第三，我关注这个术语的修辞效果，以揭示两个重要的制度后果：这种语言对于扩大军队在网络安全中的作用至关重要，国防部内部的特定利益集团已使用该框架来支持美国网络司令部的创建。美国的这些语言影响也对其他国家如何处理网络安全、如何将国际法应用于网络运营以及国际关系如何理解语言和技术变革产生影响。