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.”
Many accounts describe how — but not why — the United States faltered in Afghanistan after 2001. In this seminar, the speaker, who spent five years based in Kabul, identifies the underlying causes of U.S. policymaking errors in Afghanistan. Based on over fifty in-depth interviews with officials and experts, the seminar explores the organizational, strategic cultural, psychological, and political factors that led to U.S. mistakes.
Please join us! Coffee and tea provided. Everyone is welcome, but admittance will be on a first come–first served basis.