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.”
Rescheduled from Tuesday, February 17!
A seminar with Bassam Haddad, Associate Professor, School of Policy, Government, and International Affairs, and Director, Middle East and Islamic Studies Program, George Mason University. Part of the spring 2015 study group led by MEI Visiting Scholar Michael C. Hudson: "Rethinking the Arab State: The Collapse of Legitimacy in Arab Politics." To learn more about the series, click here.
Syria is arguably the most intriguing, if not profound, case in the recent history of Arab uprisings. This talk addresses the background to the current fragmented state of Syrian territory with emphasis on the history, policies, and dynamics of the Syrian regime. The various players involved will be discussed in the context of the current political, military, and territorial stalemate.
Co-sponsored by the Center for Middle Eastern Studies.
Please note: registration for this event has closed. You will have received a separate email confirming your registration. If you have not registered and are still interested in attending, please email Chris Mawhorter, MEI Events Administrator, at chris_mawhorter@hks.harvard.edu
Please note: this study group session will meet in Nye Conference Room A, Taubman Building, Fifth Floor, HKS campus on Thursday, April 2.
Study Group participants are encouraged to buy or loan the following book. This seminar will focus on topics covered in Chapter 3 of the book:
Beyond the Arab Spring: Authoritarianism and Democracy in the Arab World. Brynen, Rex, Moore, Pete W., Salloukh, Bassel F., Zahar, Marie-Joelle, Lynne Reinner Publishing, November 2012.
Additional Readings:
For the battle on the ground, and more: http://syriacomment.com
As Syria Free-Falls...A Return to the Basics (Part 1)
As Syria Free-Falls...A Return to the Basics: Some Structural Causes (Part 2)
About Bassam Haddad:
Bassam Haddad is Director of the Middle East Studies Program and teaches in the Department of Public and International Affairs at George Mason University, and is Visiting Professor at Georgetown University.
He is the author of Business Networks in Syria: The Political Economy of Authoritarian Resilience (Stanford University Press, 2011). Bassam recently published “The Political Economy of Syria: Realities and Challenges,” in Middle East Policy and is currently editing a volume on Teaching the Middle East After the Arab Uprisings, a book manuscript on pedagogical and theoretical approaches.
Bassam serves as Founding Editor of the Arab Studies Journal a peer-reviewed research publication and is co-producer/director of the award-winning documentary film, About Baghdad, and director of a critically acclaimed film series on Arabs and Terrorism, based on extensive field research/interviews. More recently, he directed a film on Arab/Muslim immigrants in Europe, titled The "Other" Threat. Bassam also serves on the Editorial Committee of Middle East Report and is Co-Founder/Editor of Jadaliyya Ezine. He is currently a Visiting Scholar at Stanford's Program for Good Governance and Political Reform in the Arab World. Bassam is the Executive Director of the Arab Studies Institute, an umbrella for four organizations dealing with knowledge production on the Middle East.