From the linked article..
Because the Internet’s legendary robustness.....
LOL...
Even the UK up until 1992 didn't use TCP/IP for its doomsday comms (possibly still doesn't)
http://www.ringbell.co.uk/ukwmo/index.htmFascinating stuff.
Internet experts say similar arrangements are more common in authoritarian countries than is generally recognized. In Syria, for example, the Syrian Telecommunications Establishment dominates the infrastructure, and the bulk of the international traffic flows through a single pipeline to Cyprus. Jordan, Qatar, Oman, Saudi Arabia and other Middle Eastern countries have the same sort of dominant, state-controlled carrier."
They forgot to include the UK in the list.