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.”
Appu Soman will present a seminar entitled "Stability in the Second Nuclear Age" on Tuesday, Februray 12, 2007 in the Belfer Center library, beginning at 9:30am.
Dr. Soman's research interests include international history and nuclear issues. Soman will examine the question of stability in the Second Nuclear Age. Soman argues that what distinguishes the Second Nuclear Age from the first is the presence of multiple small nuclear powers with asymmetric capabilities that are linked with each other through conflicts. Soman will explain what this linkage means for crisis stability and arms race stability.