Having just read this article: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/8363175.stm, I couldn't help but think if we are witnessing the start of the end of conventional warfare as we know it.

For many countries, having a conventional military that can actually act against other nations, or even just act as a deterrent against aggression, is obviously very expensive and, in reality, is probably only possessed by a handful of countries. However, what if nations could launch crippling cyber attacks against another for a fraction of the cost? This particularly applies to smaller nations who can't afford a conventional military but could, currently at least, afford a cyber attack capability.

I suppose the questions I'm trying to get at are:

1) Do you think cyber warfare will play a more prominent role in future conflicts between nations, perhaps displacing conventional warfare due to cost?

2) Do you think cyber warfare could be developed to the extent where it could cause so much damage (economically and to infrastructure) that it acts as a deterrent against an attack by conventional forces, i.e. act as a new form of nuclear deterrent, but affordable to all?