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
Laurence D. Belfer is the CEO of Belfer Management LLC, where he oversees the investing and philanthropic activities of the firm and its affiliates.
He is Chair Emeritus of 92NY, where he founded the Belfer Center for Innovation and Social Impact (BCISI). He serves on the Board of #GivingTuesday, the global generosity movement that was created at BCISI. At the Harvard Kennedy School, Laurence is Chair Emeritus of the Dean’s Council and serves on the Executive Board as well as on the International Council of the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs. Prior Board service includes Morgan Stanley’s Institute for Sustainable Investing, UJA Federation of NY, HELP USA and the Asia Society Policy Council.
Laurence is a graduate from Harvard College and Columbia Law School and is a Henry Crown Fellow at The Aspen Institute.