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.”
MTA/ISP Research Fellow Emma Belcher will present a seminar entitled "The Proliferation Security Initiative: An Effective and Legal Mechanism to Prevent WMD Proliferation?" on Tuesday, March 11, 2008 at 9:30am in the Belfer Center Library. All are welcome to attend.
The Bush administration's Proliferation Security Initiative (PSI) initially attracted critics given its nature as a a loose association of states, without a rigid structure or charter, and without formal association with the United Nations or the nonproliferation treaties. More recently, however, it is being seen as a useful tool to prevent WMD proliferation.
This presentation will explore the legal basis for the PSI, examine its activities, coverage and capabilities, using a counter factual analysis based on cases of known illicit proliferation.