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.”
What sort of nuclear policy might we see in a second Trump Administration or a future Democratic administration? In this seminar, Joe Cirincione will detail the politics and policies of a new U.S. nuclear strategy. He will discuss the efforts now underway to craft such a strategy, the areas enjoying the most expert and political support, the role of non-government organizations (including universities) in these efforts, and how the coronavirus crisis may impact the willingness of the government to consider dramatic changes to current nuclear weapons programs and doctrines.