Name: 2026 European Security Studies Conference
Start: 2026-06-11T08:00:00+02:00
End: 2026-06-12T20:00:00+02:00
Location: Stockholm University

2026 European Security Studies Conference

from Thursday, 11 June 2026 (08:00) to Friday, 12 June 2026 (20:00)

Thursday, 11 June 2026

09:00 Registration and Coffee
Registration and Coffee
09:00 - 09:30

09:30 Introductory Remarks

09:30 - 09:45

09:45 Taking Stock of European Security in a Rapidly Changing Geopolitical Environment

09:45 - 10:45
10:45 Virtually Transformed? Digital Infrastructures, Competition, and Governance
10:45 - 12:00
Contributions

10:45 Knowing cybersecurity: The epistemic infrastructural power of big tech - Tobias Liebetrau (University of Copenhagen)

10:55 Governing cybersecurity and the politics of state control in the digital age - Moritz Weiss (LMU Munich)

11:05 A Typology of Small State Agency: Southeast Asian States in US-China Submarine Cable Competition - Barbora Valockova (National University of Singapore) Mae Chow (National University of Singapore)

11:15 Do Parliaments Dream of Cyber Power? Parliamentary Scrutiny in the Strategic Domain of Cyberspace - Mattia Sguazzini (University of Genova, Italy)
War Abroad: War and Peace Abroad: Security Assistance, Multilateral Operations, and Peace-Building
War and Peace Abroad: Security Assistance, Multilateral Operations, and Peace-Building
10:45 - 12:00
Contributions

10:45 Mapping Plural Visions of Peace: The Peace Cube as an Analytical Framework - Yijun Xu (Free University of Berlin)

10:55 Interpreting Counterterrorism in African Conflict Management - Saurav Narain (Leiden University)

11:05 Socialized to Cooperate? Foreign Military Training and Coordination in UN Peacekeeping Operations - Ilker Kalin (Stockholm University)

11:15 From rebels’ to State’s justice: post-conflict justice choices in 2026 Syria - Marie Robin (Université Paris Panthéon-Assas)
12:00 Lunch
Lunch
12:00 - 13:00
13:00 Nuclear Weapons in a Changing World: From Deterrence to Arms Control
13:00 - 14:15
Contributions

13:00 Upload Pending? Tradeoffs, Uncertainty, and Damage-Limitation in a Multipolar Age - Tyler Bowen (United States Naval War College)

13:10 From Precision to Existential Risk: Hypersonic Weapons and the Erosion of the Conventional–Nuclear Divide - Tahir Azad (Department of Politics & IR, University of Reading, UK)

13:20 Legitimating the Bomb: US Efforts to Manage Public Information about Nuclear Weapons after World War II - Jennifer Erickson

13:30 Limit to Win It: A Typology of Competitive Arms Control Practices - Samuel Seitz (University of Oxford)
Gender, Politics, and Security
13:00 - 14:15
Contributions

13:00 Are Tradwives Making Social Reproduction Great Again? How Male Supremacist Women Strengthen Far-Right Extremism, Militarism and War - Crystal Whetstone (Bilkent University)

13:10 No Woman's Land: Securitisation of Female Forced Migration in Afghanistan - Jéssica da Costa Pereira (NOVA University of Lisbon - School of Social Sciences and Humanities)

13:20 Artistic Resilience-Building in Lithuania’s Local Security Policy - Anna Luisa Reinhardt (Sciences Po, Northern German Lutheran Church, Lithuanian Diakonija)

13:30 Gendering Non-Traditional Security: A Comparative Analysis of Sexual Violence, Reconciliation and Post-War Development in Bosnia-Herzegovina and Colombia - Teodora Stoicescu (National University of Political Studies and Public Administration)
14:20 The Conduct of Contemporary and Future War
14:20 - 15:35
Contributions

14:20 Learning from Ukraine: The West must be prepared for positional warfare - Baptiste Alloui-Cros (Oxford University) Giles Moon (Oxford University)

14:30 Conceptual Inquiry into Military Deep Operations: A Framework for Analysis - Martijn Rouvroije (Netherlands Defence Academy - Faculty of Military Sciences) Martijn Rouvroije (Netherlands Faculty of Military Sciences)

14:40 Proliferating Punishment: Assessing the Effectiveness of Russia’s Long-Range Drone Strike Campaign - Andro Mathewson (KCL) Natalia Henry (UPenn)

14:50 Working in the Margins: Can Small State Special Operations contribute to Deterrence? - Troels Burchall Henningsen (Royal Danish Defence University)
The Politics of Deterrence in Europe: Panel: The Politics of Deterrence in Europe
Panel: The Politics of Deterrence in Europe
14:20 - 15:35
Contributions

14:20 Reconceptualizing nuclear deterrence and national identity: the cases of Finland and Sweden - Emma Rosengren (Stockholm University)

14:30 Ritual deterrence, magic strategies, and nuclear war in Europe - Matthew Evangelista (Cornell University)

14:40 Nuclear Futures, Utopias, and the Case for a Renewed ‘Strict Sufficiency’ - Benoît Pelopidas (Sciences Po)

14:50 Plus ca Change: Continuity in the French Nuclear Approach. - july decarpentrie (fhs)
15:35 Coffee break: Coffee Break
Coffee Break
15:35 - 15:55
16:00 Politics at the Intersection of Climate, Industrialization and Security
16:00 - 17:15
Contributions

16:00 Water In-Security and Climate Migration in Iraq Analyzing Socio-Economic Threats - Dunia Baban (Stockholm University) Saman Omar (College of Humanity, University of Duhok, Kurdistan Region of Iraq)

16:10 Living with the nuclear: Spatio-temporal entanglements, nuclear cultures, and the afterlives of uranium mining - Elisabeth Saar (Hamburg University)

16:20 Climate Change, Environmental Crime, and the Governance of Non-Traditional Security in Europe - Cornel Racoveanu (National University of Political Studies and Public Administration Bucharest)

16:30 Fragile Control: How De Facto States Degrade Nuclear Security in the Donbas - Eliza Gheorghe (Bilkent University)
Conceptualizing Military Strategy: From Planning to War
16:00 - 17:15
Contributions

16:00 Fortifying the Eastern Flank: Leveraging Historical Lessons to Create Effective Defence Systems - Alexander Lanoszka Michael Hunzeker (George Mason University)

16:10 Anticipated Failure: Why States Go to War Un(der)prepared - Mariya Grinberg (MIT)

16:20 Revisiting Multi-Domain Operations: A Historical Reflection on the Respective Roles of Combination and Prioritisation in the Conduct of War - Samuel Zilincik (Royal Danish Defence College)

16:30 Influence as Strategic Infrastructure: China, NATO, and Competition Below the Threshold of War - Sara Russo (Centre for High Defence Studies (CASD))
17:15 Keynote: Keynote
Keynote
17:15 - 18:30
Friday, 12 June 2026
09:00 Geopolitical Power Europe: A Reality Check in Western Balkans and Eastern Neighbourhood
09:00 - 10:15
Contributions

09:00 EU’s Ontological Security and Geopolitical Enlargement - Nikolaos Tzifakis (University of the Peloponnese)

09:10 Geopoliticisation of EU Enlargement in the Western Balkans and Eastern Partnership: A Role-Theoretical Perspective - Marko Kovačević (University of Belgrade) Milan Varda (University of Belgrade) Tijana Rečević Krstić (University of Belgrade)

09:20 Filling the EU’s Identity Void from Without and Within – Forging a Geopolitics of Values - Kurt Bassuener (Democratization Policy Council, Sarajevo)

09:30 From Normalisation to Strategic Stabilisation: Geopolitisation of the Pristina–Belgrade Dialogue within EU Enlargement - Alexandra Prodromidou ((York Europe Campus, Business School, Southeast European Research Centre (SEERC)) Faye Ververidou (York Europe Campus, Business School, Southeast European Research Centre (SEERC)) Filip Ejdus (University of Belgrade) Sonja Stojanovic Gajic (Center for Advanced Studies Southeast Europe, the University of Rijeka and the Centre for International Security of the Faculty of Political Science, the University of Belgrade3)
Roundtable: Navigating the Job Market

09:00 - 10:15

10:15 Coffee break

10:15 - 10:45
10:45 Disruptive Machines: AI, Information Operations, and Cyber Security
10:45 - 12:00
Contributions

10:45 Resilience-by-Design in the Information Age: Tabletop Evidence on AI-Enabled Cybercrime, Coordination, and Public Trust - Gil Baram (UC Berkeley and Bar Ilan University)

10:55 Financial (In)Security, TikTok, and the Far-Right Pipeline - Clara Jammot

11:05 Cyber risk logics and their implications for cybersecurity - Sarah Backman (Försvarshögskolan)

11:15 Amplification of Russian Geopolitical Narratives on VKontakte: Studying Tsargrad’s audience engagement and the construction of the enemy before and after the start of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine - Alexandra Brankova (Swedish Defence University)
Stepping into the Future: Military Technology, Innovation Practices, and Contemporary Challenges
10:45 - 12:00
Contributions

10:45 Selling the Future of War: Discursive Power and Military Innovation - Nicolas Krieger (Technical University of Munich)

10:55 Disclosure and Duplicity: How Technology Influences International Competition - Tristan Volpe (IFSH University of Hamburg / Naval Postgraduate School) Jane Vaynman (SAIS Johns Hopkins)

11:05 Winning the Battles of Innovation and Production: How Russia and Ukraine Mobilize STEM Expertise and Industry - Kristen Harkness (University of St. Andrews) Marc DeVore (University of St. Andrews)

11:15 Sending the Wrong Signals: When Armaments Worry Allies - Tim Thies (Institute for Peace Research and Security Policy at the University of Hamburg)
12:00 Lunch
Lunch
12:00 - 13:00
13:00 Extended Nuclear Deterrence through European Eyes
13:00 - 14:15
Contributions

13:00 What are tactical nuclear weapons for? The multiple logics of NATO’s theater nuclear posture - Linde Desmaele (Leiden University)

13:10 'Europe is Not a Country': Nuclear Patronage and Eurodeterrence Concerns in the Frontline States - Christopher David LaRoche (Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, Central European University)

13:20 Patterns of Foreign Nuclear Deployment: Understanding Host State Refusal in NATO - Jacklyn Majnemer (LSE)

13:30 Conceptualizing Nuclear Umbrellas - Alexander Sorg (Hertie School)
Cyber and Digital Sovereignty
13:00 - 14:20
Contributions

13:00 AI-Driven Cloud Monitoring and Cyber Situational Awareness in European Digital Infrastructures - Daniela Mechkaroska (University of Information Science and Technology “St. Paul the Apostle”, Ohrid, N.Macedonia)

13:10 Quantum-Resilient SATIN and European Digital Sovereignty - Gürkan Gür (Zurich University of Applied Sciences ZHAW)

13:25 From National Incident Response to Zero Trust: Bridging Cyber Defence Policy and Technical Implementation in Wartime Ukraine - Vladyslav Vilihura

13:35 Classical geopolitics in cyberspace: Explaining cyber state behaviour with power position - Lorenz Sommer (Geschwister-Scholl-Institute for Political Science, LMU Munich)
14:20 Regional Security in the Balkans
14:20 - 15:35
Contributions

14:20 Western Balkan Criminal Groups and the Transformation of Regional Security - Kire Babanoski (Faculty of Security - Skopje, University "St. Kliment Ohridski" Bitola, North Macedonia)

14:30 Peace as Stalemate: Bosnia and Herzegovina, Forever Missions and the Strategic Logic of Frozen Peace - SENADA ŠELO ŠABIĆ (Institute for Development and International Relations, Zagreb, Croatia)

14:40 Pitfalls of Transitional Justice and (In)Security in the Western Balkans: Case Study of Serbia - SANDRA CVIKIĆ (Institute of Social Sciences Ivo Pilar, Regional Center Vukovar)

14:50 Bosnia and Herzegovina on the Edge of European Stability - Kenan Hodžić (Assistant Professor)

15:00 Pitfalls of Transitional Justice and (In)Security in the Western Balkans: Case Study of Serbia - SANDRA CVIKIĆ (Institute of Social Sciences Ivo Pilar, Regional Center Vukovar)
Military Transformation: Innovation and Strategic Change in the Transatlantic Context
14:20 - 15:35
Contributions

14:20 The EU as a 21st Century Security State, Formed by Geopolitics and Bellicist Threat - Kaija Schilde (Boston University)

14:30 NATO Military Capabilities and the Russian Threat: A Difference-in-Differences Analysis of the 2014 Russian Invasion - Jordan Becker (United States Military Academy, West Point, Brussels School of Governance, Ecole de Guerre (IHEDN, IRSEM))

14:40 From Platforms to Networks: The Political Hurdles of Transitioning to Data-Centric Warfare - Dumitru-Catalin Vasile (National School of Political and Administrative Studies, Bucharest, Romania)

14:50 NATO as an Innovation Hub? How Emerging and Disruptive Technologies Are Reshaping Allied Innovation - Vasiliki Plessia Aravani (Diplomatische Academie Wien, University of Vienna)
15:35 Coffee break

15:35 - 16:00
16:00 Beyond the State
16:00 - 17:15
Contributions

16:00 Beyond the State: Voluntary Civilian Pro-Defence Organisations and Security Governance in Georgia - Rusudan Zabakhidze (Swedish Defence University)

16:10 From Privateers to Private Maritime Security: Irregular Maritime Actors and the Long History of Delegated Security at Sea - Pieter Zhao (Erasmus University Rotterdam)

16:20 Criminalising Solidarity: Border Securitisation, Non-State Actors, and Vernacular Humanitarianism in Europe - Mia Abdić

16:30 The Strategic Logic of Violence During Negotiations - Johannes Lucht (ETH Zurich)
War & Strategy: Strategic Deterrence under Duress
16:00 - 17:15
Contributions

16:00 Explaining Heterogeneity in Public Support for Collective Defense in NATO: Evidence from a Cross - National Survey of Allied Countries - Isabelle Haynes (Charles University)

16:10 The Confidence Trap: Leader-Advisor Deliberations and the Making of (In)Credible Threats - Wendy He (S. Rajaratnam School of International Studies (RSIS), Nanyang Technological University (NTU))

16:20 Cooperation under Stress: Organisational Compatibility and NATO–EU Cooperation in a Fractured Transatlantic Order - Mark Rhinard (Stockholm University) Niklas Bremberg

16:30 Soft Power as Deterrence: Non-Kinetic Strategy and Alignment Politics in U.S.–China Competition - Joseph Black (Chiang Mai University, King's College London)
17:20 Concluding Remarks

17:20 - 17:50
18:00 Reception & Poster Presentations
18:00 - 19:00
Contributions

18:00 “A Nuclear War Cannot be Won and Must Never be Fought”: Analyzing the U.S. Response to Russian Nuclear Threats in Ukraine - Fiona Galvis

18:10 State fragility, power sharing institutions and group inequalities - Gulzhan Asylbek kyzy (UNU-MERIT)

18:20 A Shadow in the Clouds: Where Is Germany’s Missile Posture Heading? - Lucian Bumeder (IFSH)

18:30 Speak through the Nocturne: Navigating Strategic Interest in Intelligence Diplomacy - Archishman Ray Goswami (DPhil International Relations, University of Oxford)

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