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 seminar with Amanda Sloat, former Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for Southern Europe and Eastern Mediterranean Affairs, U.S. Department of State.
Moderated by Tarek Masoud, Sultan of Oman Professor of International Relations, Harvard Kennedy School.
Co-sponsored by the Ash Center for Democratic Governance and Innovation.
Dr. Amanda Sloat recently served as Deputy Assistant Secretary for Southern Europe and Eastern Mediterranean Affairs at the State Department. Previously, she served as Senior Advisor to the White House Coordinator for the Middle East, North Africa and Gulf Region. Amanda worked previously at the State Department, serving as Senior Advisor to the Assistant Secretary for European and Eurasian Affairs. She served as senior professional staff on the U.S. House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee, with responsibility for European policy. She also worked as a senior program officer with the National Democratic Institute (NDI), including work in Iraq with the Council of Representatives.