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.”
This MTA seminar, led by MTA Research Fellow Yue Guo, will analyze a case study of a government communication campaign for nuclear power in China. The study tested the effects of a substantial government communication instrument (popularization of science) and a procedural government communication instrument (encouraging public participation on local acceptance of nuclear power in China). This event is open to the public - coffee and tea provided.