Technology and Innovation

Technical analysis is also common in specialized courses and, in a topic like cybersecurity, requires a fair amount of computer science knowledge. But operational analysis is too rare. This course takes up this operational lens and uses it to understand how nations project power in cyberspace. Rather than beginning with strategic concepts, such as analogies to other forms of warfare, we will focus first on what actually has happened. We will establish a model for offensive and defensive cyber operations, introducing key terms and concepts that can be flexibly deployed to understand a wide range of incidents. Then we will use this model in analyzing a series of case studies. In each case, we will examine how different groups of government hackers performed their missions and what outcome resulted. With this solid foundation established, we will then use our operational understanding to re-examine strategic ideas like deterrence in a new light.

The goal of the course is to analyze their characteristics, the enabling technological innovations, their economics and role in modern Finance, and potential applications. The course begins with a brief insight on the theory and history of money and Financial innovation. After providing some technical background on how cryptography works, the course studies the cryptocurrency Bitcoin and then moves to other cryptocurrencies or crypto platforms such as Ethereum or Cardano. It will also analyze stablecoins and Central Bank digital currencies. Students will gain an understanding of the economic, technical and public policy issues associated with blockchain technology, distributed ledgers and smart contracts.

The course will equip students with the skills and knowledge they need to understand and contribute to this emerging sub-field of international development practice. Each session will include an introduction to relevant foundational knowledge that will provide an entry point whereby technologies such as mobile phones, sensors, drones and tablets can be designed and deployed to address problems in health, education, agriculture, governance and environmental sustainability. Cross-cutting themes such as information security, policy, gender, and inclusion will also be explored. Students will have an understanding of the constraints and benefits of integrating technology into development programs.

Students will study the new tools being used by state and non-state actors and examine the reach/effectiveness of disinformation campaigns in shaping public dialogue. In particular, this course will explore how the practice of influence operations has changed in the information age, how both state and non-state actors weaponize technology, social networks, and other tools for dissemination, and what makes human beings and societies vulnerable to influence operations. In addition to covering state- sponsored influence operations, this course will also dive into financially motivated operations, the role of traditional media and state media, and the inadvertent spread of viral false information, otherwise known as misinformation. Students will study how to detect influence campaigns using open-source investigative techniques and discuss the difficulties of attribution particular to the influence operations space. Finally, this course will explore regulatory, diplomatic, technological, and societal mitigations and interventions aimed at protecting the information environment, assessing their effectiveness.