SCIENCE · PEACE · SECURITY ’19 | https://sps.peasec.de
25.-27.9.2019 | Lichtenberg-Haus, Darmstadt, Germany
TU Darmstadt, CYSEC, PEASEC, CROSSING, IANUS, FONAS, P&D, AICES, ZNF, ISFH, DSF

INVITATION | SAVE THE DATE | CALL FOR PAPERS

Scientific discoveries and technological innovations have always exerted a great influence on peace and security. New civil and military technologies are revolutionizing warfare. Particularly striking areas are cyber warfare and the rapid development of unmanned weapons systems. Issues of nuclear disarmament, missile defense or space armament as well as chemical and biological weapons are again becoming more urgent. Furthermore, frequent use of chemical weapons may lead to erosion of trust in arms control treaties.

The conference SCIENCE · PEACE · SECURITY ’19 aims for an accurate understanding and fruitful discussions of today’s and tomorrow’s peace and security challenges. This includes scientific-technical as well as interdisciplinary contributions, focusing on problems of international security and peacebuilding as well as contributions dedicated to transparency, trust-building, arms control, disarmament, and conflict management.

We invite researchers and practitioners to contribute to this conference. Accepted papers will prospectively be published in the form of conference proceedings (as papers or abstracts) and best papers in a journal special issue („Science and Global Security“ or „International Journal of Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management„). Taking the 30-years tradition of IANUS at the TU Darmstadt into account, the conference aims at connecting experts across the disciplines to discuss the urgent challenges for global peace and security.

TRACKS AND CHAIRS

We look forward to seeing you in DARMSTADT at SCIENCE · PEACE · SECURITY ’19. | https://sps.peasec.de

SCIENCE · PEACE · SECURITY ’19 | https://sps.peasec.de
25.-27.9.2019 | Lichtenberg-Haus, Darmstadt, Germany
TU Darmstadt, CYSEC, PEASEC, CROSSING, IANUS, FONAS, P&D, AICES, ZNF, ISFH, DSF

EINLADUNG | DATUM RESERVIEREN | AUFRUF ZU EINREICHUNGEN

Technologische und naturwissenschaftliche Innovation haben erheblichen Einfluss auf Frieden und internationale Sicherheit. Zivile und militärische Technologien beeinflussen dabei die Strategien von Staaten und stellen sie vor neue Herausforderungen, wie die Austragung von Konflikten im Cyberspace und die Entwicklung von autonomen und teil-autonomen Waffensystemen. Nukleare Abrüstung, die Kontrolle von chemischen und biologischen Waffen, Raketenabwehr und Weltraumrüstung erfahren eine neue Dringlichkeit.

Die Konferenz SCIENCE · PEACE · SECURITY ’19 hat es sich deshalb zum Ziel gesetzt, gegenwärtige und zukünftige Herausforderungen für Frieden und Sicherheit zu benennen. Das schließt naturwissenschaftlich-technische sowie interdisziplinäre Beiträge ein, mit Schwerpunkten bei internationaler Sicherheit, Friedensschaffung sowie transparenz- und vertrauensbildenden Maßnahmen, Rüstungskontrolle, Abrüstung und Konfliktmanagement.

Wir laden WissenschaftlerInnen und PraktikerInnen zu Beiträgen ein. Angenommene Beiträge werden als Konferenzband bzw. beste Beiträge in einem Journal Special Issue („Science and Global Security“ or „International Journal of Information Systems for Crisis Response and Management„) veröffentlicht. Basierend auf 30 Jahren Forschungstradition bei IANUS an der TU Darmstadt möchte die Konferenz ExpertInnen fachübergreifend zusammenbringen, um global relevante Fragen von Frieden und Sicherheit zu diskutieren.

TRACKS UND CHAIRS

Wir erwarten Sie in DARMSTADT zur SCIENCE · PEACE · SECURITY ’19. | https://sps.peasec.de

Dates and Submissions

Accepted submissions will be published in the conference proceedings.

Selected papers will be published in a journal special issue.

Submission Formats

1. Short Paper (up to 2000 words)
2. Work in Progress Paper (3-6000 words)
3. Full Paper (5-10.000 words)

Paper Template: SPS-Paper-Template

Submissions: here

Important Dates

• 2019 May 1st: Abstract Submission of talk, poster or workshop (extended)
• 2019 May 20th: Feedback
• 2019 September 25th, 26th and 27th: Conference and Presentation

Special Issue

Best papers will, after review, be published in a journal special issue. If those full papers are available before the conference, the review can already start earlier.

• 2019 November 1st: Submission of the Paper
• 2019 December 15th: Reviews
• 2020 February 1st: Revisions due
• 2020 April 1st: Second Notifications
• 2020 April 15th: Final Version
• 2020 Special Issue published

Track 1: Cyber-Security, Cyber-War and Cyber-Peace (Chair: Prof. Dr. Christian Reuter)

Technological and scientific progress, especially the rapid development of information technologies (IT), plays a crucial role regarding questions of peace and security. This track addresses the significance and potentials of IT with respect to peace and security. For this purpose, the track sheds light on:

• IT in Peace, Conflict, and Security Research
• Cyber Conflicts and War (Information Warfare, Cyber Espionage and Cyber Defense, Darknets)
• Cyber Peace, Dual Use and Technology Assessment, Confidence and Security Building Measures
• Arms Control, Restraint Measures, Unmanned Systems, Verification in Cyberspace
• Critical Infrastructures, Attribution, Resilient Critical Infrastructures, Critical Information Infrastructures
• Open Source Intelligence, Situation Assessment, Human-Computer-Interaction
• Culture and Social Interaction, Cyber Deception, Cultural Violence and Peace in Social Media, Social Media and ICT Usage in Conflict Areas

To discuss information technology for peace and security, Science · Peace · Security ’19 invites contributions from the fields of computer science, IT security and Human-Computer-Interaction, as well as policy relating to technical issues.

Track 2: Nuclear Nonproliferation and Disarmament (Chair: Prof. Dr. Malte Göttsche)

Today, past nuclear arms control achievements are threatened, and prospects for positive developments are grim. The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty is in an uncertain state due to violation accusations. The future of the New START treaty is unclear. The North Korean nuclear program poses a threat to international security. At the same time, missile defense plans and the modernization of nuclear arsenals impede arms control efforts. The withdrawal of the United States from the Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action has the potential to curb non-proliferation efforts. While a large number of non-nuclear weapon states concluded negotiations on the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, there is little progress with regard to a Fissile Material Cutoff Treaty. Long-term pathways towards Global Zero remain unclear. As all of these issues have inherent technical components, scientific contributions are required to understand and solve them. Among those are for instance assessments of technical capabilities and the development of transparency and verification approaches as they are required to enable substantive arms control and disarmament measures.

To discuss nuclear arms control and nonproliferation, Science · Peace · Security ’19 invites contributions from the fields of physics and engineering, as well as policy relating to technical issues.

Track 3: Biological/Chemical Weapons (Chair: Dr. Mirko Himmel)

With the end of the Cold War the use of biological or chemical weapons became more and more unlikely as means of warfare. Furthermore, the increasing global implementation of both, the Biological and Chemical Weapons Convention (BWC, CWC) has been perceived as promising sign for a persistent international ban of these weapons. The frequent use of chemical weapons (CW) in the course of the civil war in Syria as well as the alleged use of nerve agents for assassination attempts in Malaysia and Great Britain by state actors now puts the chemical weapons ban under pressure. In a politically tense atmosphere, a severe loss of trust can be recognised among CWC States Parties. Important questions such as the investigation of the alleged use of chemical weapons cannot any longer be solved in a constructive manner. The political situation within in the BWC regime is different, but not much better. There is still no agreed verification mechanism for this important arms control treaty. Compliance monitoring is relying in part on in-transparent methods. Science and technology are evolving fast, but a structured review of relevant developments is lacking. Within this context, political progress is slow and BWC States Parties experience difficulties to agree on necessary steps fostering the biological weapons ban. The adoption of new production concepts in the chemical industries, dual use aspects of new genetic engineering techniques as well as the convergence between biology and chemistry are some of the future challenges for biological and chemical arms control. Here, science can contribute to a better understanding of technical aspects of CBW. Compliance monitoring and the analysis of alleged CBW use can now be supported by open source information. The question remains how to make this information accessible? Fresh thinking is required to tackle all these problems.

To discuss challenges and possibilities for biological and chemical arms control, Science · Peace · Security ’19 invites contributions from the fields of biology, medicine, chemistry, from international arms control organisations as well as policy relating to technical issues.

Track 4: New Technologies and Arms Control (Chair: PD Dr. Jürgen Altmann)

Since research and development of new military technology were done systematically they have brought about new weapons systems that often have endangered global peace and military stability. Arms control has limited some of the most urgent problems, in particular with nuclear weapons, but could not change the general course of the qualitative arms race. Today arms-control treaties – not only for nuclear weapons – are in danger. Space weapons, limitation of which has been on the table since more than 30 years, are re-appearing. Hypervelocity missiles threaten to undermine limits on ballistic and cruise missiles. Armed drones, attacking under remote control, are being deployed by dozens of countries. Autonomous weapons, where the computer would select and attack targets without human intervention, are on the horizon. Cyber forces prepare not only defence, but also offence, with effects in the physical world, and co-ordinated with military action therein. Markedly shortened decision times threaten to increase crisis instability, raising the specter of accidental war. Ever smaller weapons and production in small, inconspicuous installations renders verification of bans and limits increasingly difficult.

To discuss dangers from new military technologies and possibilities of preventive arms control in various areas, as well as overarching policy issues, Science · Peace · Security ’19 invites contributions from the respective fields of natural as well as social science.

Track 5: Open Track

We also invite submissions that adress the conference topic, but are not related to a specific track!