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.”
Adam Scheinman and Todd Perry, Director and Deputy Director of the Office of Export Control Policy and Cooperation in the Department of Energy’s National Nuclear Security Administration, will lead a brown-bag discussion on "DOE and the U.S. Approach to Export Controls under the Bush Administration," including an assessment of the steps needed to improve Pakistan's controls over leakage of nuclear weapons technologies. The seminar will be in the BCSIA Library (L369) from 12:15-2:00 PM. Please join us for what promises to be a stimulating discussion with officials on the front lines of the effort to stem the spread of nuclear weapons.