The overarching question imparting urgency to this exploration is: Can U.S.-Russian contention in cyberspace cause the two nuclear superpowers to stumble into war? In considering this question we were constantly reminded of recent comments by a prominent U.S. arms control expert: At least as dangerous as the risk of an actual cyberattack, he observed, is cyber operations’ “blurring of the line between peace and war.” Or, as Nye wrote, “in the cyber realm, the difference between a weapon and a non-weapon may come down to a single line of code, or simply the intent of a computer program’s user.”
Speakers: Daniel Russel, Diplomat in Residence and Senior Fellow, Asia Society Policy Institute; former Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs.
Joseph Nye, Harvard University Distinguished Service Professor, Emeritus, Harvard Kennedy School.
Moderator: Susan Pharr, Edwin O. Reischauer Professor of Japanese Politics and Director, WCFIA Program on U.S.-Japan Relations, Harvard University.
In this seminar, Ambassador Russel will examine how the U.S.-Japan alliance has evolved to address a varieties of global problems, drawing on his distinguished public service as Assistant Secretary of State for East Asian and Pacific Affairs (2013–2017) and Special Assistant to the President and National Security Council (NSC) Senior Director for Asian Affairs (2009–2013). Topics he will address will include both regional challenges in East Asia, such as North Korea's missile and nuclear capabilities as well as China's rise, and global challenges such as terrorism and climate change. Professor Joseph Nye will respond.
Co-sponsored by the International Security Program