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.”
A seminar with Hedi Larbi, Kuwait Foundation Visiting Scholar, Fall 2015, MEI and Paul Salem, Vice President for Research and Policy, Middle East Institute, Washington, D.C. Introductory session for the fall 2015 study group led by MEI Visiting Scholar Hedi Larbi, Rewriting the Arab Social Contract: Toward Inclusive Development and Politics in the Arab World.
Almost five years since millions of Arab protestors demanded a new socio-economic and political contract for their societies, the harvest of change has been dramatically uneven. While Tunisia has moved forward toward inclusive democratic reform, other countries like Libya, Syria and Yemen have descended into outright state collapse and civil war, while Egypt has experienced a resurgence of nationalist authoritarianism. Meanwhile, radical groups like ISIS have risen to announce a new state and Caliphate astride the Syrian-Iraqi border. Why did demands for a new social contract fail, in most cases, to move forward? What could have been done differently? What can still be done today to de-escalate conflict and return to the task of building stable, inclusive and productive societies in the Arab world.
Please note: registration is not required, but an RSVP is requested for this session. Click here [RSVP now closed] to RSVP. Please note that an RSVP does not guarantee a seat at the session.
For more about Paul Salem, click here.
For more about Hedi Larbi, click here.