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.”
Karen Brunwasser is co-founder and strategic officer for Feel Beit, a collaborative venue where Palestinian and Israeli visual and performing artists engage with one another and for a shared Palestinian and Israeli audience exactly where east and west Jerusalem meet along a seamless border.
A native of East Jerusalem, Riman Barakat heads FeelBeit’s East Jerusalem and Palestinian Affairs department. She also manages and leads a tour program in East Jerusalem and the West Bank, which offers content and itineraries for international and local delegations and missions seeking a unique and authentic Palestinian perspective. Riman has been involved in peace-building initiatives throughout her professional career. Throughout her work in track two diplomacy, she was the Executive Director for Breaking the Impasse (BTI)—Palestine and co-Director of the Israel/Palestine Center for Research and Information (IPCRI). Riman also completed a Fulbright scholarship at Marquette University, Wisconsin.
Their conversation will focus on the arts and socio-economic development – from the ground up – as two distinct strategies for engaging collaboratively with the Palestinian and Israeli communities, focusing on social and cultural activism as a path to the future. In these challenging times of divisive ideologies splitting communities across Israel, this approach can open doors in ways that politics cannot.
Karen Brunwasser is co-founder and strategic officer for Feel Beit, a collaborative venue where Palestinian and Israeli visual and performing artists engage with one another and for a shared Palestinian and Israeli audience exactly where east and west Jerusalem meet along a seamless border.
A native of East Jerusalem, Riman Barakat heads FeelBeit’s East Jerusalem and Palestinian Affairs department. She also manages and leads a tour program in East Jerusalem and the West Bank, which offers content and itineraries for international and local delegations and missions seeking a unique and authentic Palestinian perspective. Riman has been involved in peace-building initiatives throughout her professional career. Throughout her work in track two diplomacy, she was the Executive Director for Breaking the Impasse (BTI)—Palestine and co-Director of the Israel/Palestine Center for Research and Information (IPCRI). Riman also completed a Fulbright scholarship at Marquette University, Wisconsin.
