Digital Threats and Their Impact on Qatari National Security (An Analytical Study of Cyber Terrorism)

Abstract

The study aimed to analyze the concept of digital threats and cyberterrorism, examine their impact on national, political, and economic security in the State of Qatar, and evaluate the effectiveness of the government strategies adopted to combat them, while proposing practical recommendations to strengthen the cybersecurity framework. The study is based on several hypotheses, most notably that digital threats constitute a real and growing danger to Qatari national security, and that the effectiveness of countermeasures depends on the level of integration between legislative frameworks, technical capabilities, and institutional cooperation at both the domestic and international levels. The study employed the analytical approach to examine the nature of digital threats, the descriptive approach to clarify their effects on vital sectors, in addition to the comparative approach to review selected international experiences, and the exploratory approach to diagnose practical challenges related to combating cyberterrorism. The findings indicate that cyberterrorism represents a direct threat to Qatari national security due to its ability to disrupt critical infrastructure and destabilize economic and political stability, and that although Qatar’s national cybersecurity strategies have achieved notable progress, they still require continuous development to keep pace with the evolution of digital attacks. The study recommends strengthening the development of specialized human capacities in cybersecurity and expanding regional and international cooperation to more effectively address cross-border digital threats.