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.”
The Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs will host a Directors' Lunch with Mark Penn, CEO, Burson-Marsteller, in the Belfer Center Library (L369).
Mark Penn has been called "Master of the Message" by Time and "The King of Polls" by the London Times. On June 30th Penn discussed in a Time article the mood among Americans today, noting that, "Nearly 8 in 10 [Americans] believe there will be a major terrorist attack on U.S. soil in the next decade." Despite this belief, he further argued that "a full two-thirds of Americans see the greatest long-term threats to national stability as coming from within the U.S."
Mark Penn is worldwide CEO of Burson-Marsteller, a leading global public relations and public affairs agency, and CEO of Penn Schoen Berland, a strategic research firm. In both 1996 and 2000, Penn won "Pollster of the Year," the top honor in his profession, from the American Association of Political Consultants. He has helped to elect over 25 political leaders in the United States, Asia, Latin America and Europe, including U.K. Prime Minister Tony Blair, Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin, Venezuelan President Luis Herrera Campins, Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton, and President Bill Clinton. Penn served as a White House pollster for six years to President Clinton and a key adviser in his 1996 re-election. Mark also serves as a strategic consultant to many Fortune 500 companies and CEOs on a wide range of image, branding, and corporate reputation issues. His client's have included Ford Motor Company, Merck, BP, Sony, McDonald's and Microsoft.
Penn authored of the 2007 best-selling book "Microtrends," a look at the small forces behind tomorrow's big changes. He has written articles for the Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Financial Times, Time, The Hill, Huffington Post, and POLITICO. He frequently appears on television news providing business and political analysis. Penn graduated from the Horace Mann School, Harvard College, and attended Columbia Law School.
RSVP REQUIRED!http://belfercenter.ksg.harvard.edu/events/penn.html
As space is limited for this event, RSVPs will be accepted on a first come, first served basis.
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