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.”
Rashid Ali Abdallah is the Executive Director of the African Energy Commission (AFREC) since November 2018. Under his leadership, AFREC has developed several programmes and undertook several initiatives to support the African Energy Sector Transformation and African Union Member states’ effort toward energy transition, by creating the enabling policies and strategies to increase investment for the African Energy Sector, and to meet the AU Agenda 2063, Sustainable Development Goal (SDGs) and the global commitment on climate change.
Prior to joining AFREC, Mr. Abdallah served as the Head of Energy Division within the Department of the Infrastructure and Energy at the African Union. He has over 22 years of experience in energy field at national, regional and continental level.
Mr. Abdallah hold a M.Sc. Project Management from Birmingham University - UK, Post Graduate Diploma in Energy Engineering and a B.Sc. (Hons) Mechanical Engineering from Khartoum University- Sudan.
Katie Auth is Policy Director at the Energy for Growth Hub and a non-resident scholar at the Carnegie Foundation for International Peace's Africa Program. Her work focuses on strengthening US-Africa relations and in shaping policy within the US government and at multilateral institutions, particularly regarding energy investment, climate, and development finance. Previously, she served at the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) as Senior Development Finance Advisor and as Deputy Coordinator of the US Government’s Power Africa initiative. She holds an MSc in Natural Resource Management from the University of Akureyri and a BA from Bowdoin College. Katie is a co-host of the Hub’s podcast series High Energy Planet with Research Director Rose Mutiso.
Henry Lee is the Jassim M. Jaidah Family Director of the Environment and Natural Resources Program within the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at the Harvard Kennedy School; Faculty Co-Chair of the HKS Arctic Initiative and Decarbonization in China research endeavors; and a Senior Lecturer in Public Policy.
Before joining Harvard Kennedy School in 1979, Lee spent nine years in Massachusetts State Government as Director of the State's Energy Office and Special Assistant to the Governor for Environmental Policy. He has served on numerous state, federal, and private advisory boards concerning energy and the environment. Lee is a former Chairman of the Massachusetts Stewardship Council, which oversees state parks and recreation facilities. Additionally, he has worked with private and public organizations, including the InterAmerican Development Bank, the World Bank's International Finance Corporation, the State of Sao Paulo, the U.S. Departments of Energy and Interior, the National Research Council, the Intercontinental Energy Corporation, General Electric, and the U.S. EPA.
Lee’s research interests surround energy and transportation issues, U.S. climate policy, China's energy policy, and public infrastructure projects in developing countries. He recently published papers on the economic viability of electric vehicles and the impact of climate on infrastructure, as well as case studies on integrating renewables into the electrical grid. Lee is a co-author of Foundations for a Low-Carbon Energy System in China (Cambridge University Press, 2021).