Digital Front Lines

Combating cyber operations in warfare.

The scale and scope of cyber operations in the lead-up to and since Russia’s February 2022 full-scale invasion of Ukraine are unprecedented and have ushered in a new era of hybrid warfare. The use of cyber operations for destruction, espionage, and foreign influence in war against both military and civilian targets present myriad and urgent challenges for the prevention and resolution of armed conflicts going forward. 

Recognizing the need to elevate awareness of cyber operations in armed conflict, FP Analytics, the independent research division of The FP Group, produced Digital Front Lines with support from Microsoft. The report, featuring original research by FP Analytics and contributions from leaders from across sectors, confronts the reality of modern hybrid warfare and the necessary collaborations across government, industry, and civil society that can mitigate its most destructive impacts.

Against the backdrop of the 78th United Nations General Assembly, join Foreign Policy and our partners at Microsoft for the public launch of this new report and a wide-ranging discussion about the impact and implications of increasing hybrid attacks by state and non-state actors — and how we can forge the multistakeholder and international partnerships needed to combat them.

View the microsite here.


In Partnership With

Speakers

Ambassador Bonnie Denise Jenkins, Ph.D.
Under Secretary for Arms Control and International Security, U.S. Department of State

Ambassador Bonnie Denise Jenkins, Ph.D., is the Under Secretary for Arms Control and International Security at the U.S. Department of State. She previously served as Special Presidential Envoy and Coordinator for Threat Reduction Programs, legal advisor to the former U.S. Arms Control and Disarmament Agency, Counsel on the 9/11 Commission, and General Counsel to the U.S. Commission to Assess the Organization of the Federal Government to Combat the Proliferation of Weapons of Mass Destruction. A retired U.S. Naval Reserve Officer, she also worked for the Ford Foundation and the Rand Corporation and founded the nonprofits Organizations in Solidarity and Women of Color Advancing Peace, Security, and Conflict Transformation.

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Kaja Ciglic
Senior Director, Digital Diplomacy, Microsoft

As part of the Digital Diplomacy team at Microsoft, Kaja leads Microsoft’s work on issues related to international peace and stability to advance trust in the computing ecosystem. Previously, she led Microsoft’s international cybersecurity policy work in an effort to develop policies that support development, growth, and innovation, and advance security, privacy, and trust in the information age. Before joining Microsoft, Kaja led the APCO Worldwide’s technology practice in Seattle; directing public affairs and communication work for consultancy’s clients in this space. Previous to that she worked as a director in APCO Worldwide’s Brussels office, focusing on pan-European campaigns, addressing her clients’ regulatory and antitrust challenges. She holds a Bachelor of Science in international relations and history, and a Master of Science in European politics, both from the London School of Economics.

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Stéphane Duguin
Chief Executive Officer, CyberPeace Institute

Stéphane Duguin is the CEO of the CyberPeace Institute. Humanitarian, entrepreneur, investigator, he spent two decades tracking how criminals groups and terrorists organisation weaponise disruptive technologies, such as Al, against vulnerable communities. At Europol, Stephane led major  international counter cybercrime, terrorism and hybrid threats operations, and investigated threat actors deploying cyberattacks, illegal content and disinformation techniques. Stephane leads the CyberPeace Institute to provide free cybersecurity for the most vulnerable and hold threat actors to account for the harms they cause.

Stéphane Duguin sits on the Board of the Datasphere Initiative and is a member of the Advisory Board of the Open Quantum Institute, the Global Forum on Cybercrime Expertise (GFCE), the Tech4Trust initiative, the Fighting Terrorist Content Online (FRISCO) and the Global Cyber Alliance (GCA).

Stéphane has published a book, over 50 articles, book chapters, conference papers, and commentary essays exploring themes like AI, cybercrime, disinformation, and OSINT techniques. Holding numerous keynotes, he shed light on criminal innovation in the age of technology.

Stéphane served in EUROPOL as senior manager in the European Cybercrime Centre (EC3), the European Internet Referral Unit (EU IRU), and the Europol Innovation Lab.

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Karim A.A. Khan KC
Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court

Karim A.A. Khan KC was elected to serve as the third Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court, beginning his term in June 2021. Prior to that, he was an Assistant Secretary-General of the United Nations and served as the first Special Adviser and Head of the United Nations Investigative Team to promote accountability for crimes committed by Da'esh/ISIL in Iraq (UNITAD) between 2018 and 2021. He is a barrister and King’s Counsel with more than 30 years’ professional experience of international criminal law and human rights.

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Izumi Nakamitsu
Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, United Nations

Izumi Nakamitsu is the United Nations Under-Secretary-General and High Representative for Disarmament Affairs, a role she began in 2017. Prior to taking on this post, Nakamitsu served as Assistant Administrator of the Crisis Response Unit at the U.N. Development Programme beginning in 2014. She has many years of experience within and outside the U.N. system, also having served as Special Advisor Ad Interim on Follow-up to the Summit on Addressing Large Movements of Refugees and Migrants between 2016 and 2017. She was also previously Director of the Asia and the Middle East Division of the U.N. Department of Peacekeeping Operations between 2012 and 2014 and Director of the department’s Division of Policy, Evaluation and Training from 2008 to 2012. Between 2005 and 2008, Nakamitsu was Professor of International Relations at Hitotsubashi University in Tokyo, where she also served as a member of the Foreign Exchange Council to Japan’s foreign minister and as a visiting Senior Advisor on Peacebuilding at the Japan International Cooperation Agency.

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Ravi Agrawal
EDITOR IN CHIEF, FOREIGN POLICY

Ravi Agrawal is the editor in chief of Foreign Policy, a role he assumed in November 2020 after two years as the magazine’s managing editor. Before joining FP, Agrawal worked at CNN for more than a decade in full-time roles spanning three continents, including as the network’s New Delhi bureau chief and correspondent. Agrawal has shared a Peabody Award and three Emmy nominations for his work as a TV producer, and his writing for FP was part of a series nominated for a 2020 National Magazine Award for columns and commentary. Agrawal is the author of India Connected: How the Smartphone Is Transforming the World’s Largest Democracy. He is a graduate of Harvard University. Agrawal hosts FP’s Global Reboot podcast and is a frequent commentator on world affairs on CNN, MSNBC, NPR, and the BBC.

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Mayesha Alam
Dr. Mayesha Alam
VICE PRESIDENT OF RESEARCH, FP ANALYTICS, FOREIGN POLICY

Dr. Mayesha Alam is vice president of research at FP Analytics where she oversees the research team and leads research development for clients and partners. She previously helped establish and served as deputy director of the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security, and has also worked with the United Nations, World Bank, Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, and various nongovernmental organizations. Dr. Alam is the author of two books, Women and Transitional Justice and, with Robert Egnell, Women and Gender Perspectives in the Military, as well as reports on conflict, climate change, health, and gender. Her commentary has appeared in the Washington Post, CNN, NPR, Newsweek, and elsewhere. A nonresident senior fellow of the United Nations University Centre for Policy Research, Dr. Alam is a professor at Johns Hopkins SAIS, and holds a Ph.D. from Yale University.

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