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 public address by Naomi Chazan, Professor Emerita of Political Science, Hebrew University of Jerusalem; former Member of Israeli Knesset (1992-2003).
Moderated by Tarek Masoud, Sultan of Oman Professor of International Affairs, HKS.
Abstract
For close to a decade, Israel has been undergoing a process of democratic recession which is transforming it into a country which is divesting itself of many of its democratic trappings. This lecture will address the causes for this transition, its dynamics, its most recent manifestations and, on this basis, its key implications both domestically and internationally.
About the speaker
Naomi Chazan, professor emerita of political science at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, is a former member of the Knesset (1992-2003), where she served as Deputy Speaker and a member of the Foreign Affairs and Defense committee. She has written extensively on African politics, Israeli politics, gender politics and the Arab-Israel conflict. She has been active for decades in a variety of human rights, peace and gender equality initiatives. Professor Chazan was president of the New Israel Fund and remains a member of its international board of directors.