Big Tech and Cyber Resilience in the Balkans: A Comparative Analysis of Cyber Incidents in 2022

Tal Pavel

doi:10.2478/cmc-2026-0018

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Big Tech and Cyber Resilience in the Balkans: A Comparative Analysis of Cyber Incidents in 2022

CONTEMPORARY MILITARY CHALLENGES

Volume 28 (2026): Issue 3 (September 2026)

By: Tal Pavel

Open Access

|Sep 2026

Abstract

This research examines the role of major technology corporations in shaping cyber resilience during significant cyber incidents in the Balkans in 2022. This study conducts a comparative analysis of eight Balkan nations (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Romania, and Serbia), focusing on the forms and drivers of Big Tech engagement. The findings identify three patterns: comprehensive operational involvement; limited and delayed engagement; and minimal or no involvement. Interacting factors, including geopolitical alignment, attribution clarity, incident visibility, and institutional preparedness, shape these differences. The research develops a multi-level explanatory framework and conceptualises Big Tech as quasi-sovereign actors whose engagement is selective and context-dependent, with implications for cyber resilience and digital sovereignty in smaller states.

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