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
Mackenzie Heather is the Operations Coordinator at the Belfer Center. Before joining the Belfer Center, Heather worked as a Program Associate for Freedom House’s Europe and Eurasia Programs Department, supporting civil society and marginalized groups throughout the region. She received her B.A. in International Studies and M.A. in International Peace and Conflict Resolution from American University’s School of International Service where she focused her studies on conflict, human rights, and transitional justice movements in the Caucasus.
Last Updated: Feb 15, 2022, 10:26am