[camelNotation]

Sure, but more importantly, in the event of war it would grant them a strategic advantage to be able to use the Internet exclusively within their own territory. The Internet as this wild west style free-for-all was never going to survive nation-state conflicts. All countries will eventually do what Russia is doing now, then link together based on treaties and economic agreements. Any country that opts to remain on an open, global Internet is asking for extreme levels of instability and risk.

[Nasrudith]

Wouldn't that be like saying any nation-state who engages in foreign trade is at a massive disadvantage in conflict? Sure there may be some vulnerabilities but what they get from it likely outweigh it massively. Not to mention implicit allies of interlinked relationships - mess with them and their trading partners won't be happy.

Nation-states also fight with their economies - especially in conflicts protracted enough that production capacity becomes significant.

[camelNotation]

Yes, the Internet is part of foreign trade, that is my point. The same way that we restrict foreign trade in certain instances in order to protect our own interests will be reflected in restrictions on Internet connectivity in general. That starts with being able to control the connectivity, so eventually every industrialized country will have a system like what Russia is building.