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.”
Speaker: Ambassador Chas W. Freeman, Jr., Senior Fellow, Watson Center for International and Public Affairs, Brown University
This seminar will explore the nature of diplomacy and its strategic, tactical, and risk management roles in American statecraft. Case studies to be discussed include those of U.S. Cold War diplomacy in southern Africa and on the Taiwan issue as well as examples from European history, the Middle East, and elsewhere.
Please join us! Coffee, tea, and refreshments provided. Everyone is welcome, but admittance will be on a first come–first served basis.
This seminar is being held under the auspices of the joint HKS/MIT Program on Strategy, Security, and Statecraft.
For more information, email the International Security Program Assistant at susan_lynch@harvard.edu.