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.”
*SPACE CHANGE: Now meeting in Malkin Penthouse, Littauer Building, Fourth Floor.
A seminar with Madawi Al-Rasheed,Visiting Professor, Middle East Centre, London School of Economics. Part of the spring 2015 study group led by MEI Visiting Scholar Michael C. Hudson: "Rethinking the Arab State: The Collapse of Legitimacy in Arab Politics." To learn more about the series, click here.
It is not the first time the Saudi monarchy finds itself surrounded by hostile regional turbulence and domestic problems. What is the nature of the new upheavals? How is the regime responding to both challenges? Reflecting on the ‘resilience of monarchies’, Professor Madawi Al-Rasheed assesses whether the monarchy can wither the storm in a changing Arab world and assess the new regime survival strategies put in place to consolidate authoritarian rule.
Please note: registration for this event has now closed. You will have received a separate email if you are confirmed to attend.
Study Group participants are encouraged to buy the following book. This seminar will focus on topics covered in Chapter 8 of the book:
Beyond the Arab Spring: Authoritarianism and Democracy in the Arab World. Brynen, Rex, Moore, Pete W., Salloukh, Bassel F., Zahar, Marie-Joelle, Lynne Reinner Publishing, November 2012.
Additional Readings: TBD.
About Madawi Al-Rasheed:
Madawi Al-Rasheed is Visiting Professor at the Middle East Centre at LSE and Research Fellow at the Open Society Foundation. She was Professor of Anthropology of Religion at King’s College, London between 1994 and 2013. Previously, she was Prize Research Fellow at Nuffield College, Oxford. She also taught at Goldsmith College (University of London) and the Institute of Social and Cultural Anthropology, University of Oxford. Her research interests include the anthropology of Muslim societies; religion, politics and state in Saudi Arabia; Islamist movements, civil society and mobilization; gender, religion and politics; transnational connections and the Arab Gulf; and human development.