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A messy red white and blue paint design

US-Russian Contention in Cyberspace

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.”

A consumer hydrogen fuel pump in Germany

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The Geopolitics of Renewable Hydrogen

Renewables are widely perceived as an opportunity to shatter the hegemony of fossil fuel-rich states and democratize the energy landscape. Virtually all countries have access to some renewable energy resources (especially solar and wind power) and could thus substitute foreign supply with local resources. Our research shows, however, that the role countries are likely to assume in decarbonized energy systems will be based not only on their resource endowment but also on their policy choices.

President Joe Biden

AP/Andrew Harnik, File

What Comes After the Forever Wars

As the United States emerges from the era of so-called forever wars, it should abandon the regime change business for good. Then, Washington must understand why it failed, writes Stephen Walt.

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Telling Black Stories: What We All Can Do

Full event video and after-event thoughts from the panelists.

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Seminar - Harvard Faculty, Fellows, Staff, and Students

Defense Project Series: Military Coercion and US Foreign Policy: The Use of Force Short of War

PAST EVENT

Mon., Nov. 23, 2020 | 12:00pm - 1:00pm

Online

Series
Defense Project Series

Join the Defense Project for a seminar with James Siebens, Dr. Melanie Sisson, and Dr. Barry Blechman who will discuss the topic of their new book, Military Coercion and US Foreign Policy: The Use of Force Short of War.  

Military Coercion and US Foreign Policy reveals that despite its status as sole superpower during the post-Cold War period, US efforts to coerce other states failed as often as they succeeded. In the coming decades the United States will face states that are even more capable and creative, willing to challenge its interests, and able to take advantage of missteps and vulnerabilities. Competition therefore will require that the United States resolve these challenges favorably without needing to resort to war.  This book provides guidance to a new Administration about the ways in which the US armed forces can work in concert with economic and diplomatic elements of US power to create effective foreign policy.

Dr. Barry M. Blechman is co-founder and a Distinguished Fellow of the Stimson Center. He has more than fifty years of distinguished service in national security in both the public and private sectors. Blechman has worked in the Departments of State and Defense, and at the Office of Management and Budget. During the Carter Administration, he was appointed by the President and confirmed by the Congress as assistant director of the US Arms Control and Disarmament Agency. At various times during his career, he has been associated with the Brookings Institution, the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, the Center for Naval Analyses, and the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

Melanie W. Sisson is Vice President of Analysis at Govini, and a Nonresident Fellow with the Stimson Center.  Prior to joining Stimson, Dr. Sisson was a Senior Associate with the RAND Corporation, where she conducted research on force planning, strategic approaches to countering domestic and international terrorism, covert operations, and enhancing planning and management processes within the Department of Defense.

James A. Siebens is a Fellow with Stimson’s Defense Strategy and Planning program.  Prior to joining Stimson, Siebens worked as a Data Analyst at the National Consortium for the Study of Terrorism and Responses to Terrorism at the University of Maryland, where he contributed to a Defense Department project on Gray Zone conflict.

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 Military Coercion and US Foreign Policy: The Use of Force Short of War

Military Coercion and US Foreign Policy: The Use of Force Short of War
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