#samnunninta

The Center for International Strategy, Technology, and Policy in the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs hosted Dr. James Miller, the former Under Secretary of Defense for Policy and current Senior Fellow at the Belfer Center. Dr. Miller spoke on “Deterrence as a Strategic Attack” and how it applies to nuclear and cyber deterrence. 

Dr. Miller defined deterrence and explained that, "we don’t deter states, we deter decision makers.” When thinking about nuclear and cyber deterrence, it is important to think of the key leaders of these countries.

“We need to think about who they are. We need to think about what they value because that’s what we want to be able to hold at risk and we want to hold that risk in a credible way and we want to understand what they will view as proportional and disproportional.” 

He explained that even when we understand the desired outcomes of these leaders, deterrence is not always guaranteed. Then went on to explain the failures of deterrence on the local, national and international level. Then discussed the current and future international environment, including missile defense, cyber defense and deterrence, and nuclear modernization. Following his presentation, Dr. Miller opened up the floor for discussion

Associate Professor Margaret E Kosal was an invited security expert speaking at the 6th Seoul Defense Dialogue at the beginning of September. The annual Vice-Ministerial level meeting brought together delegates from 38 states and top officials from four international organizations, including the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and European Union (EU). Kosal gave an invited plenary talk on the future of warfare and national defense policy. Other speakers included Marise Payne, Australia’s Minister for Defence; Lt. Gen. Thomas Bergeson, U.S. 7th Air Force commander and Deputy Commander of the US Forces Korea; among others.

The three main topics for the plenary sessions were North Korea’s nuclear missile threats and security on the Korean Peninsula; maritime security; and, cybersecurity challenges and national defense cooperation. This year's Cyber Working Group covered topics such as cybersecurity technology based on civil-military cooperation and confidence-building for transnational cybersecurity. Sponsored by the South Korean Ministry of National Defense was held from September 6 to 8 in Seoul this year, under the theme of “Visions for Security Cooperation in the Age of Uncertainty.”

On Wednesday, September 20th, the Center for European and Transatlantic Studies hosted Rt. Hon. Sir Simon Burns. Sir Burns discussed the UK’s decision to leave the EU, the key issues in the Brexit negotiations and the place of the U.S. in the UK’s thinking. He spoke to about 100 faculty and students across two classes.

Triangular Diplomacy among the United States, the European Union, and the Russian Federation: Responses to the Crisis in Ukraine This new book, edited by CETS co-directors Vicki Birchfield and Alasdair Young has just been published by Palgrave Macmillan. The book examines the crisis in Ukraine through the lens of “triangular diplomacy,” which focuses on the multiple interactions among the European Union, the United States and Russia. It is explicitly comparative, considering how the US and EU responded to ostensibly the same crisis. It also adopts a “360-degree” perspective, focusing on how the US and EU interacted in their dealings with Russia, and how Russia and Ukraine have responded. Get the book: https://www.palgrave.com/gb/book/9783319634340