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.”
Biography
Ariel Higuchi is a Research Assistant at the Harvard Kennedy School’s Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs, where she supports the Belfer Center’s Director and former U.S. Secretary of Defense, Ash Carter. Her work focuses on emerging technology, international security, and U.S. foreign policy.
Prior to joining the Belfer Center, Ariel was an Asian Pacific American Institute for Congressional Studies (APAICS) Legislative Fellow with the Office of Congressman Ami Bera. Ariel managed the House Committee on Science, Space, and Technology portfolio for Committee Vice Chairman Ami Bera. Ariel also supported the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific, and Nonproliferation portfolio for Subcommittee Chairman Ami Bera.
Before joining Congressman Bera's office, Ariel was a Herbert Scoville Jr. Peace Fellow at the Brookings Institution. Within Brookings’ Foreign Policy program, Ariel's independent research focused on nuclear weapons and emerging technology issues. Ariel graduated from Brown University with a Bachelor of Arts in History.
Last Updated: Dec 7, 2022, 1:00pm