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 Arctic Council is the leading intergovernmental forum promoting cooperation, coordination and interaction among the Arctic States, Arctic Indigenous peoples and other Arctic inhabitants on common Arctic issues, in particular on issues of sustainable development and environmental protection in the Arctic.
Since 2019, Iceland has Chaired the Artic Council with a focus on the theme of "Together Towards a Sustainable Arctic." Iceland has focused on four key priorities throughout their Chairmanship: The Arctic Marine Environment, Climate and Green Energy Solutions, People and Communities of the Arctic, and a Stronger Arctic Council. In this Earth Day dialogue, the panel will explore the progress made on these issues and what to expect next in the Arctic Council with a transition to the Russian Chairmanship happening this year.
This discussion will be moderated by Dr. Mike Sfraga the founding director of the Polar Institute, with Arctic Initiative Senior Fellow, Fran Ulmer, past Chair of the US Arctic Research Commission and former Lieutenant Governor of Alaska, and Senior Fellow at the Wilson Center, David Balton, a former US Ambassador, as discussants. Opening remarks provided by Halla Logadottir, Co-Founder and Co-director of the Arctic Initiative at the Harvard Kennedy School.