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.”
Twenty-five years ago this November, the Berlin Wall—infamous symbol of divided Cold War Europe—seemed to be falling. But the opening of the gates wasn’t planned by the East German ruling regime, nor was it the result of a bargain between Reagan, Bush and Gorbachev. It was an accident. Tom Brokaw was there that night, broadcasting live from the Brandenburg Gate. Join Brokaw as he recalls this momentous event and its legacy in conversation with prize-winning historian Mary Sarotte, author of The Collapse: The Accidental Opening of the Berlin Wall.
Tom BrokawSpecial Correspondent, NBC News
Mary Elise SarotteVisiting Professor of Government and History, Harvard University
Sponsors: Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, Harvard Kennedy School; Minda de Gunzburg Center for European Studies; John F. Kennedy Jr. Forum
This event is free and open to the public.