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.”
Speakers: Joseph S. Nye, Professor Emeritus, HKS; Nobukatsu Kanehara, Former Assistant Chief Cabinet Secretary to Prime Minister of Japan; Mayumi Fukushima, Postdoctoral Fellow, International Security Program/Project on Managing the Atom
Moderator: David Sanger, Senior Fellow, Belfer Center
The war in Ukraine could have significant geopolitical consequences for East Asia. Much of its impact is yet to be seen and may depend on how the war ends and on what lessons Asian leaders, particularly China's President Xi Jinping, are learning from the war itself as well as the West's response to it. U.S. allies' reactions may also affect China’s calculations. The panelists will discuss the war's broad political and security implications and address important questions such as: What should the United States and its allies do? Will the war prove to be a nightmare or a silver lining for President Xi?
Everyone is welcome to join via Zoom! Please register in advance here: https://harvard.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJMqduCppz8rH90D4Go7vF_gg_0xNpdNCRDO
For more information, email the International Security Program Assistant at susan_lynch@harvard.edu.