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
Jesse Caemmerer was the Director of Research of the Belfer Center’s Avoiding Great Power War Project led by Graham Allison. His research covered U.S.-China relations, China’s foreign affairs and security policy, and Southeast Asia.
Prior to his work at the Belfer Center, Jesse worked as a Research Analyst at the Military Studies Program and the Institute for Defense and Strategic Studies in Singapore. While there, he represented the Singapore Committee of the Council for Security Cooperation in the Asia-Pacific (CSCAP) at domestic and international Track-II diplomacy meetings alongside the Singapore Chair, Ambassador Ong Keng Yong, former Secretary-General of ASEAN. He also directed the trade and security-related research projects of Ambassador Barry Desker and contributed to forums such as the Trilateral Commission and ASEAN Expert and Eminent Persons Group.
Jesse received a B.A. in International Relations from Santa Clara University, an M.Sc. in Strategic Studies from the S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies in Singapore, and an M.A. in Global Affairs from Tsinghua University in China as a member of the inaugural cohort of Schwarzman Scholars. He was awarded the China Hands “25 under 25: Leaders in US-China Relations” recognition and is a member of the Pacific Forum Young Leaders Program.
Last Updated: Jul 25, 2023, 2:37pm