American policymakers have long fixated on preventing a catastrophic cyberattack by coercing and deterring adversaries in cyberspace. Yet cyber competition over the last two decades looks different than the dynamic U.S. strategists envisioned. Instead of “Pearl Harbor-like” attacks, adversaries are waging enduring cyber campaigns to spy, steal, and spread disinformation below the level of damage that would warrant U.S. armed response. If Cold War-infused strategies of deterrence and coercion will not change adversarial digital behavior, how should the United States compete in cyberspace? Can cyber competition be tamed?
Join us for a timely discussion with Michael Fischerkeller, Emily Goldman, and Richard Harknett, the authors of Cyber Persistence Theory, moderated by Carnegie’s George Perkovich.