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 year, like the last, bore witness to a fundamental concept well captured by W. B. Yeats: “things fall apart; the center will not hold.”
We have lived through historic and extraordinary moments over the last several months alone, including the US withdrawal from Afghanistan, a new wave of the COVID pandemic, the ongoing Ukraine-Russia war, high inflation, and rising political extremism. Although formidable, it is in these moments that we are provided a window of opportunity to create profound change—to set in motion policies and practices that will help bend the arc of progress towards public good. And of course, technological innovation plays a central role in this process, having the ability to both help and harm progress.
In this session, Belfer Center Director, 25th U.S. Secretary of Defense, and TAPP Faculty Director Ash Carter will lead a discussion with our 2021-2022 TAPP Fellows to look at the role technology played this year in a few key priority areas: crisis management, consumer safety, inclusion and equity, national competitiveness, and the information ecosystem. The session will also dive into ways we can improve the development and management of technology to better elevate concepts of public purpose, touching on the specific projects of each fellow.
