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
Tess Cushing, MPP Class of 2021, is a Research Assistant for the Technology and Public Purpose Project. She received a Bachelor's Degree in Human Evolutionary Biology from Harvard University in 2018. Prior to attending HKS, she worked as a consultant for the Taunton Public Schools, where she helped to develop the Science and Technology curriculum. After receiving her MPP, she plans to pursue a career in health policy.
Last Updated: Jun 3, 2021, 10:02am