How has technology changed international security?5 answersTechnology has significantly altered international security dynamics. Breakthroughs in AI have intensified global commercial competition and reshaped the security environment, posing risks to American society and altering national security threats. Offense-defense theory highlights how technological advancements impact the likelihood of conflict or cooperation among states, emphasizing the importance of the balance between offensive and defensive capabilities. The scarcity of skilled security personnel, as noted, underscores a critical challenge in maintaining cybersecurity measures. Technopolitics explores the intricate relationship between technology, security governance, and sovereignty struggles, emphasizing the unintended consequences of technological interventions and the distributed agency between human and non-human actors. Emerging autonomous systems, including AI, are poised to reshape power dynamics globally, potentially leading to new AI hegemons and necessitating norm-setting and arms control mechanisms among key players.
How is technology challenging nuclear deterrence?5 answersTechnological advancements, particularly in the field of artificial intelligence (AI), are challenging nuclear deterrence in several ways. AI and autonomy have the potential to decrease nuclear stability and increase the likelihood of escalation to nuclear use, thereby undermining deterrence. These advancements have made nuclear forces more vulnerable by eroding the traditional methods of ensuring arsenal survivability, such as hardening and concealment. Additionally, AI can alter cost-benefit calculations, remove the fog of war, and diminish the human cost of military engagement, potentially recalibrating the balance between offensive and defensive measures. It may also quicken the overall pace of action in conflict, crisis, and war, compressing the distance between intelligence, political decisions, and coercive action. These technological changes pose critical challenges to the basis for confidence in contemporary deterrence stability and have implications for national and international security policy.
What are the main challenges posed by the use of new technologies in cyberspace for national security?4 answersThe main challenges posed by the use of new technologies in cyberspace for national security include the following: the transnational and elusive nature of cyberspace, which makes it difficult to control and regulate; the ability of cyber threat actors to use social media and false personas to influence large populations and spread propaganda; the emergence of cyber crime, such as hacking and data manipulation, which poses a threat to stability and requires balancing crime-fighting techniques with computer technology; the need for effective digital communication tools to provide transparency, public information access, and feedback for national security purposes; and the constant emergence and evolution of new cyber threats, which require flexible and operational cybersecurity strategies at the national level.
What is the impact of nuclear proliferation?4 answersNuclear proliferation has various impacts. It increases the likelihood of nuclear war, including small-scale nuclear wars or nuclear terrorism that could escalate to nuclear war between superpowers. The possession of nuclear weapons confers benefits on a state, but the path to proliferation is often violent. States that initiate a nuclear weapons program face an increased risk of being attacked, especially over territorial issues. However, once nuclear weapons are acquired, the risk of being attacked dramatically drops. The impact of nuclear proliferation on South Asian security is a subject of concern, with some scholars arguing that nuclear weapons make war in South Asia extremely unlikely, while others maintain that the spread of nuclear weapons will have negative effects. Nuclear proliferation has become a major field of interdisciplinary international relations research, with studies focusing on the causes and consequences of proliferation. The literature on the consequences of proliferation remains thinner than the literature on its causes. Crises involving nuclear actors are more likely to end without violence, and the likelihood of war decreases as the number of nuclear actors involved increases.
What are the impacts of Cyberterrorism to national security?5 answersCyberterrorism poses a serious threat to national security. The development of telecommunications networks has made international cyberterrorism more widespread, allowing terrorists to carry out various types of threats with anonymity and without fear of capture or elimination. The use and abuse of computers and networks have revolutionized information gathering, communications, and fund-raising for individuals, organizations, and nations, including terrorists. Potential adversaries have the capacity to conduct cyber-attacks, including surveillance, gathering technical information, and mapping networks and infrastructure, which can be exploited in future conflicts. Cybersecurity impacts not only national security but also economic and trade security, critical infrastructure security, and even public health and political security. Cyberterrorism exploits vulnerabilities in civilian and military systems, affecting both national and global security.
What were the causes of the expansion of nuclear weapons?5 answersThe expansion of nuclear weapons was driven by various factors. The literature highlights the role of insecurity and the search for military independence as key drivers of post-World War II nuclear proliferation. The study also emphasizes the importance of understanding the motives of states to acquire nuclear weapons, as well as the implications for regional and global security. The development of civilian nuclear power programs and the spread of technical capability are also identified as factors contributing to nuclear weapons acquisition. Additionally, the history of nuclear weapons programs in Britain, France, and China demonstrates how political turmoil and economic hardship did not deter their pursuit of atomic and thermonuclear weapons. Overall, the causes of nuclear weapons expansion involve a complex interplay of political, economic, and security considerations.