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 seminar will examine the connection between intra-alliance rivalries and the spread of nuclear weapons by looking at South Korean–Japanese relations during the Cold War. The speaker will explain how preferential treatment, historical legacies, and power asymmetries lead to rifts between the junior partners in a superpower-sponsored alliance. These tensions can accelerate reactive proliferation dynamics: the junior allies' attempts to restore equality by matching each other's nuclear capabilities traps them in a vicious cycle. This research project shows that states embark on the nuclear path not only in response to proliferation by traditional enemies, but also by their formal partners, when the alliance is skewed in favor of one of the junior allies.
Please join us! Coffee and tea provided. Everyone is welcome, but admittance will be on a first come–first served basis.