Defense of the dissertation of Dmitriyeva Alyona for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in the specialty «8D03105 - Regional Studies»

The L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University will host the defense of the thesis for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) by Dmitriyeva Alyona on the topic «Information security of the European Union as a factor of the political stability in society: experience for Kazakhstan» under the educational program «8D03105 – Regional Studies».

The dissertation was carried out at the «Regional Studies education department» of L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University.

The language of defense is russian

Official reviewers:

Temporary members of the Dissertation Council:

Kushkumbayev Sanat Kairslyamovich – Doctor of Political Sciences, Chief Researcher of the KISI under the President of the Republic of Kazakhstan (Astana с., Republic of Kazakhstan);

Pussyrmanov Nurbek Serikuly – Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Director of the Institute of State History of the Science Committee of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan (Astana с., Republic of Kazakhstan);

Yun Sergey Mironovich – Candidate of Historical Sciences, Associate Professor, Advisor to the Rector of Tomsk State University for Cooperation with Central Asian Countries (Tomsk с., Russian Federation).

Scientific advisors:

Zholdasbekova Akbota Niyazovna – Candidate of Political Sciences, Professor of the Department of Regional Studies of the L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University (Astana с., Republic of Kazakhstan);

Eremina Natalia Valeryevna– Doctor of Political Sciences, Candidate of Historical Sciences, Professor of the Department of European Studies of the Faculty of International Relations, Saint Petersburg State University (Saint Petersburg с., Russian Federation).

The defense will take place on May 28, 2026, at 11:00 AM in the Dissertation Council for the training direction «8D031 – Social sciences» in the educational program «8D03105 – Regional Studies» of L.N. Gumilyov Eurasian National University. The Dissertation Council meeting will be held offline and online.

Link: https://clc.li/pwyOI 

Address: Astana, K. Satpayev St., 2, Main Building, Room 302.

Abstract (English): The purpose of this dissertation is to conduct a multi-level analysis of the European Union’s information security policy as a structural factor in ensuring political stability within the framework of regional integration, as well as to identify patterns, trends, and prospects for applying European institutional and regulatory models in the Kazakhstani context, taking into account the specific features of the national cyberspace, socio-political dynamics, and regional digital transformation processes. Research objectives: 1. To conduct a theoretical and methodological analysis of the concept of information security; 2. To reveal the conceptual significance of information security as a determinant of political stability; 3. To identify the structural and legal mechanisms for ensuring information security; 4. To analyze the evolution of the European Union’s information security strategies; 5. To examine the institutional structure of information security in the EU member states; 6. To investigate the impact of information security policy effectiveness on socio-political stability in the European Union by identifying the main challenges faced by member states; 7. To analyze the role of artificial intelligence technologies within the information security system of the European Union; 8. To examine the current state of information security in Kazakhstan; 9. To identify the main opportunities and limitations for implementing European cybersecurity experience in Kazakhstan; 10. To assess the potential for harmonizing European Union cybersecurity standards in Kazakhstan. Research Methods. The methodological basis of the dissertation research is formed by a combination of general scientific and specialized methods that ensured a comprehensive analysis of the European Union’s policy in the field of information security as a factor in ensuring political stability in society, as well as an assessment of the possibilities for adapting European experience to the conditions of Kazakhstan. The study is interdisciplinary in nature and relies on methodological tools drawn from political science, international relations, regional studies, sociology, and legal analysis. Based on methods of analysis and synthesis, conceptual approaches to understanding information security, political stability, and cyber resilience were examined, while the applicability of these categories was revealed in the study of European and Kazakhstani models of digital space regulation, taking into account the provisions of theories of political stability, information society, and cyber sovereignty. Using the systems approach, the interrelationship between information security, state information policy, and political stability was examined, which made it possible to determine the place of digital security within the general structure of national and international security. Qualitative content analysis was used to examine and assess institutional mechanisms for regulating digital security, as well as the specific features of legal support for cyber resilience. In particular, this method was applied to the analysis of key European Union strategic documents, including the NIS and NIS2 Directives, General Data Protection Regulation, Cybersecurity Act, and AI Act, as well as the regulatory legal acts of the Republic of Kazakhstan governing informatization, cybersecurity, and personal data protection, together with selected international ISO/IEC standards and national technical standards in this field. Comparative analysis made it possible to compare the experience of the European Union and Kazakhstan in the field of information security, identify structural differences in institutional architecture, legal regulation, and cyber threat response mechanisms, and determine the most relevant elements of European practice for possible adaptation within Kazakhstan’s national cybersecurity system. Statistical analysis enabled the use of international and national statistical data to assess quantitative indicators of cyber threat development, levels of digital protection, and the dynamics of registered cyber incidents. The study used data from European Union Agency for Cybersecurity, Global Cybersecurity Index, as well as KZ-CERT statistics for 2019–2024. A survey method in the form of a large-scale online questionnaire was also employed. The data collected during the survey were anonymized and processed in compliance with confidentiality requirements, excluding the identification of respondents. The survey was conducted using the Google Forms platform among citizens of Kazakhstan. The survey was conducted in order to address the following objectives:  to determine public perceptions of the current state of information security in Kazakhstan;  to assess the level of trust in state measures in the field of cybersecurity;  to identify attitudes toward the main types of cyber threats and digital risks;  to determine the level of support for the possible adaptation of European information security standards;  to identify dominant public assessments regarding the prospects for reforming the national cybersecurity system. For the processing of empirical data, Microsoft Excel tools were used, including descriptive statistical methods and the calculation of Pearson’s correlation coefficient. Preliminary coding of responses based on the Likert scale made it possible to determine the statistical relationship between the subjective assessment of the level of information security and trust in state measures in this area. To assess the possible consequences of implementing European information security mechanisms in Kazakhstan, scenario analysis based on the method of normative-value forecasting was employed. This made it possible to model three alternative scenarios for the development of Kazakhstan’s cybersecurity policy, taking into account institutional readiness, public trust, and perceptions of digital threats through the use of the author’s model of the relationship of political stability PS = f(T, I, D). Key points to be defended: 1. Information security is defined as having evolved from a technical category into an interdisciplinary political and legal phenomenon that directly affects the stability of political regimes and the level of public trust in state institutions, particularly under conditions of transformation of the global information order. 2. The European Union is characterized as one of the most advanced actors in the field of cybersecurity, having developed a comprehensive multi-level model of regulatory, institutional, and technological cyber risk governance that contributes to strengthening political stability and serves as a reference framework for adaptation within the national information security systems of third countries. 3. National cybersecurity models within the European Union (based on the cases of Estonia, Germany, and France) are distinguished by heterogeneity in terms of centralization, institutional involvement of military structures, and the development of civil participation mechanisms, despite the existence of strong supranational regulation by the European Union, which confirms the limited universality of applying the European model without consideration of country-specific characteristics. 4. An original model of interdependence between information security parameters and political stability, PS = f(T, I, D), has been developed, based on indicators of technological resilience, interagency coordination, and public trust within the overall condition of the political system. 5. It is substantiated that under conditions of the spread of generative technologies and the emergence of algorithmic media environments, information security acquires a cognitive dimension in which disinformation, manipulative techniques, and artificial intelligence become independent factors of political system destabilization, requiring continuous monitoring and systematic institutional regulation at the state level. 6. he information security model of the Republic of Kazakhstan is characterized by a stable and developing regulatory and institutional framework, reflected in Kazakhstan’s advancement to Tier 2 in 2024 (94.04 points out of 100) in the Global Cybersecurity Index. At the same time, signs of fragmented coordination and insufficient protection of non-state segments of digital infrastructure have been identified, indicating persistent institutional inconsistency in cyber risk governance. 7. A statistically significant relationship has been established, based on empirical analysis, between the perception of the level of information security and trust in state measures (Pearson correlation coefficient r = 0.55; p < 0.001), which substantiates the importance of perceiving cyber resilience as a social indicator of political stability. 8. The main risks and opportunities for implementing European experience in the field of information security in Kazakhstan have been systematized, taking into account legal, technological, cultural, and institutional differences manifested in the limited applicability of supranational EU norms to the national context, uneven protection of digital environments, and specific features of public perception regarding state cyber governance measures. 9. The expediency of introducing a mixed model for harmonizing European cybersecurity standards in the Kazakhstani context has been substantiated (supported by 61.1% of respondents) through the phased integration of key elements necessary for maintaining a balance between national and information security. Description of the main results and novelty of the study: 1. For the first time in Kazakh national science, a comprehensive multi-level analysis of the European Union’s information security policy has been conducted not merely as a technical protection system, but as a structural factor in ensuring political stability within the framework of regional integration. 2. An original definition of the concept of “information security” has been formulated, according to which it is understood as a systemic category reflecting the state of protection of political, institutional, and social processes from destructive information influence capable of affecting the stability of public governance and public trust. 3. The structural interrelationship between cybersecurity, state information policy, and political stability of society has been theoretically substantiated and established. In this context, an original conceptual model of interaction between information security and political stability, PS = f(T, I, D), has been developed, within which political stability is determined through the interaction of technological resilience, institutional coordination, and public trust. 4. A comparative content analysis of key strategic and regulatory documents of the European Union in the field of digital security has been carried out, including the NIS and NIS2 Directives, General Data Protection Regulation, Cybersecurity Act, and AI Act, which made it possible to identify institutional and legal mechanisms for the formation of cyber resilience with adaptation potential under the conditions of Kazakhstan. 5. A statistically significant relationship between the subjective assessment of information space security and trust in state institutions (r = 0.55) has been empirically confirmed, which made it possible to consider cyber resilience as a social indicator of political stability and to identify the persistent institutional fragmentation of Kazakhstan’s information security system. 6. It has been established that the development of generative artificial intelligence expands the content of information security, shifting it from the sphere of technical protection to the domain of societal cognitive resilience, where disinformation, algorithmic influence, and digital manipulative practices become independent factors of political destabilization. 7. Based on the study's results, the expediency of applying a mixed model for adapting European experience in the field of information security in Kazakhstan has been substantiated. This model involves the phased introduction of selected regulatory and institutional mechanisms of the European Union while preserving national cyber sovereignty. In addition, practical recommendations have been developed for the state bodies of the Republic of Kazakhstan aimed at improving the institutional architecture of cybersecurity, strengthening interagency coordination, and updating approaches within the further development of the concept of cybersecurity “Cyber Shield of Kazakhstan”. Justification of the importance of the obtained results. The obtained results may be used by the National Security Committee of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Ministry of Artificial Intelligence and Digital Development of the Republic of Kazakhstan, the Ministry of Culture and Information of the Republic of Kazakhstan, as well as other specialized state bodies in improving mechanisms for protecting the national information space and strengthening resilience to contemporary digital threats. The author’s recommendations are applicable to the further improvement of the concept of cybersecurity “Cyber Shield of Kazakhstan”, the development of new regulatory approaches in the field of cybersecurity, and the strengthening of interagency coordination in digital security, taking into account selected elements of European experience. The proposals developed in the dissertation, including the author’s model of interrelation between information security components and political stability, may serve as a basis for preparing analytical reports, development scenarios, and forecasting materials on countering hybrid threats, disinformation, and digital manipulation. The practical conclusions of the study are also applicable to improving national approaches to personal data protection and enhancing the cyber resilience of critical infrastructure. The dissertation materials may be used in the educational process when teaching courses in regional studies, international relations, information security, and public administration. At the same time, the research results are of practical interest for the training of analytical and expert personnel in the field of digital security. Compliance with scientific development areas or state programs. The dissertation research corresponds to the priority area of scientific development approved by the Higher Scientific and Technical Commission under the Government of the Republic of Kazakhstan, namely “Research in the Field of Social Sciences and Humanities,” since it addresses the influence of the digital environment and information security on the political stability of modern society. The key results of the study are consistent with the provisions of the Concept of Digital Transformation, Development of the Information and Communication Technology Sector, and Cybersecurity for 2023–2029, the concept of cybersecurity “Cyber Shield of Kazakhstan”, and the Information Doctrine of the Republic of Kazakhstan. Certain conclusions of the dissertation also correspond to the objectives of the National Project “Technological Breakthrough through Digitalization, Science and Innovation” and are consistent with contemporary approaches to artificial intelligence regulation established in the Law of the Republic of Kazakhstan “On Artificial Intelligence,” particularly in terms of ensuring the ethical use of technologies, algorithmic transparency, and protecting society from manipulative information influence, including the spread of deepfake content. A description of the applicant's contribution to the preparation of each publication. The main results and conclusions of the research are reflected in 7 publications: - 2 publications in international scientific publications indexed in the Scopus database, including 1 article in an international peer-reviewed scientific journal and 1 chapter in a collective scientific monograph published by Springer Nature; - 3 articles in journals recommended by the Quality Assurance Committee in Science and Higher Education of the Ministry of Science and Higher Education of the Republic of Kazakhstan for publication of the main results of scientific activity; − 2 articles in the proceedings of international scientific and practical conferences. In addition, 1 certificate of inclusion of information in the state register of rights to objects protected by copyright (copyright certificates) were received. The total volume of the dissertation is 181 pages. The dissertation consists of an introduction, three chapters, a conclusion, practical recommendations, a list of references, and 4 appendices. It includes 21 figures and 10 tables.

Dissertation

List of Scientific Works

Consultant's Review

Foreign Consultant's Review

Conclusion of the Research Ethics Committee