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 seminar with Joseph Bahout, Visiting Scholar, Carnegie Middle East Center, Beirut and Visiting Research Scholar, Crown Center for Middle East Studies, Brandeis University. Moderated by Melani Cammett, Professor of Government, Harvard University and MEI Faculty Affiliate.