Commitment and compromise in Danish cyber and tech diplomacy

Abstract

Abstract This article explores the emergence of norm promotion strategies through an in-depth, partly autobiographical case-study spanning almost a decade of Danish cyber and tech diplomacy. The article engages the norms literature in International Relations and highlights the significance of the frequently overlooked internal negotiations that take place within the bureaucratic structures of norm entrepreneurs. Despite Denmark's favourable position and aspiration to become a norm entrepreneur in cyberspace, internal dynamics characterized by varying levels of commitment and compromise in negotiations over cyber norm promotion strategies resulted in both failed norm promotion attempts and fundamental alterations to a previously successful initiative. The article advocates for increasing analytical attention to the internal dynamics of norm entrepreneurs, positing that such examination not only offers a more nuanced perspective on the initial stages of a norm's life-cycle, but also furnishes an additional indication of a norm's robustness. Methodologically tracing the practices of civil servants as they negotiate their continuing commitment to norm-entrepreneurial strategies, particularly in response to domestic political changes or external events, provides norms scholars with valuable insight into the potential weakening or strengthening of a norm.