1. Artificial Intelligence-Driven Warfare. Impact on Communication Technologies and Cybersecurity in Hybrid Conflicts
2. Migration and Refugee Management in the Human Security Landscape
3. Energy Security. Challenges within the Current Context of International Relations
4. Civil Rights and Freedoms
5. Public Security Governance: Public Order, Emergency Services, Cyber Resilience and Homeland Security
Artificial Intelligence-Driven Warfare. Impact on Communication Technologies and Cybersecurity in Hybrid Conflicts
Coordinators/Moderators: Nicoleta Annemarie Munteanu; Grațian Lupu
Contact: nicoleta.munteanu@ulbsibiu.ro; gratian.lupu@ulbsibiu.ro
The interdependencies between the terms used to entitle this panel predispose to a multidisciplinary approach that addresses a wide range of specialists who are concerned about the dimensions of security from the military, political, social, cultural, environmental, human, or informational perspective, given the impact of artificial intelligence as an instrument of power, which converge towards the common element, the effects on human security. The main characteristics of hybrid warfare: asymmetry, synergy, ambiguity, the battle over psychology, and innovative disruption are related to artificial intelligence as an emerging technology, based on the recent developments in this field, which denotes that will have a big impact, in terms of potential and deterministic processing on strategic competition, military power, and world politics. Artificial Intelligence-driven transformation determines important international organizations to adapt, and to reach a level of consensus, including at NATO level. A totally new world is about to start since artificial intelligence, big data, and machine learning are constantly omnipresent. Technological progress is directly related to artificial intelligence, but there are certain aspects regarding bias and discrimination issues in AI systems, malicious online behaviours, and management of sensitive data. In terms of hybrid warfare, artificial intelligence will enhance offensive capabilities within information warfare through certain tools such as profiling the target audience, detecting reconnaissance activities, distortion in terms of fake news, and psychological operations, which will increase the impact of information warfare. The connections between artificial intelligence and hybrid warfare are only at the beginning of a mutual and influential process. Cyber-enabled information warfare, within the modern military campaign and below the threshold of war operations, is considered to be a core pillar in this context.
Migration and Refugee Management in the Human Security Landscape
Coordinators/Moderators: Iuliana Neagoș; Iulia Bulea
Contact: iuliana.neagos@ulbsibiu.ro; iulia.bulea@ulbsibiu.ro
A prominent source of threat to human security in general and in particular to Eastern Europe is represented by the continuous waves of refugees and immigrants, a phenomenon of maximum complexity, affecting the European status quo. It has strained the unity of the European Union, also has posed difficult questions about global inequality and sparked debate about the differences between Western and Eastern Europe. Migration has become a top priority in various policy fields, including foreign, security and development policy, directly related to all elements of human security. This panel aims to discuss the current tendencies within the popular destinations in the regional migration flows in Eastern Europe, including the distinction between political migrants and economic migrants, according to the perspective of international law treaties. Recent displacement crises from Syria or Afghanistan, and most recently Ukraine, have imposed huge tensions on the humanitarian protection regime. The conflict in Ukraine has caused destruction of the civilian infrastructures, civilian casualties, forcing people to flee their homes seeking safety, assistance and protection. Into neighbouring countries, millions of refugees have crossed borders, and many more have been seen forced to move inside the country. In this extremely complex context, an institutional refugee response should be carried out.
Energy Security. Challenges within the Current Context of International Relations
Coordinator/Moderator: Mihai Melintei
Contact: mihai.melintei@ulbsibiu.ro
Regional geopolitical developments and the ongoing reconfiguration of the international security architecture have underscored the critical importance of the energy sector, not only as a strategic instrument but also as a fundamental pillar of national security. The accelerating transition towards new models of energy production and consumption requires a reassessment of the ways in which energy resources shape global stability. Against this backdrop, we propose a panel dedicated to energy security that seeks to capture the multifaceted implications of the energy sector, moving beyond strictly political and economic analyses to examine its direct impact on citizens and societies. Today, European energy security is increasingly associated with resilience, strategic autonomy, and the diversification of energy supply chains. European decarbonization policies, underpinned by ambitious green-transition objectives and the pursuit of climate neutrality, are fundamentally reshaping energy markets and altering established patterns of energy production, distribution, and consumption. This panel therefore provides a platform for interdisciplinary examination of the complex relationships between energy, security, economics, technology, and geopolitics, while contributing to the identification of emerging risks and the development of responses adapted to an evolving international environment. The relevance of energy security research is further reinforced by the convergence of contemporary geopolitical, economic, climate, and technological crises. These developments demonstrate that energy constitutes one of the key intersections between vulnerabilities and opportunities in the contemporary international system, with implications extending from state-level strategic interests to the resilience and well-being of societies and citizens.
Civil Rights and Freedoms
Coordinator/Moderator: Dragoș Dragoman
Contact: dragos.dragoman@ulbsibiu.ro
The last couple of years have witnessed a sharp decline in respect for citizens’ rights and the proper protection of their natural liberties. This is to be acknowledged all over the world, yet it is most striking in countries with a long tradition in fostering essential conditions for freedoms and rights to thrive. Whereas for decades the relationship between power elites and ordinary citizens has been a balance of prerogatives and duties that stemmed from the principle of representative democracy, the balance shifted roughly by favoring the concentration of executive power, monopolizing the public discourse and severely limiting citizens’ rights and freedoms. Not only independent opinions and free speech against the official narrative have been banned, but also other basic freedoms such as freedom of movement, peaceful assembly and public participation under the form of protest have been limited or suspended. The speed and scope of those limitations represent a warning for the immense accumulation of power in the hands of a state bureaucracy, which impedes the natural ability of ordinary citizens to formulate opinions, to freely express, assemble, organize and balance state coercion. The panel welcomes papers on the logic and pace of recent limitations in civic rights and freedoms, on state-power dynamics, on sensitive issues for citizens’ initiatives for protest, on the capacity of both ordinary citizens and more articulated secondary organizations to step out and defend civic rights and freedoms and on the legal actions taken by them. However, the range of issues is not limited to the previous enumeration and all other papers dealing with the protection of civic rights and liberties are equally welcome.
Public Security Governance: Public Order, Emergency Services, Cyber Resilience and Homeland Security
Coordinators/Moderators: Andreea Dragomir; Ana Bayraktar; Lucian Tarnu; Sergiu Berindea
Contact: andreea.dragomir@ulbsibiu.ro; ana.morari@ulbsibiu.ro; lucian.tarnu@ulbsibiu.ro; sergiu.berindea@ulbsibiu.ro
This panel examines public security governance at the intersection of public order, emergency services, cyber resilience and homeland security. It welcomes theoretical, empirical and practice-oriented contributions addressing the role of public institutions in preventing, managing and responding to contemporary security risks, including public order challenges, emergency situations, cyber incidents, hybrid threats, critical infrastructure vulnerabilities and community safety concerns. Situated within the broader framework of human security, the panel encourages interdisciplinary debate on administrative capacity, institutional resilience, legality, accountability, proportionality, public trust and the protection of fundamental rights. Contributions may address national, European or comparative perspectives from administrative sciences, public administration, law, security studies, policing, emergency management, cybersecurity and related fields.
Selected papers presented within the panel Public Security Governance: Public Order, Emergency Services, Cyber Resilience, and Homeland Security may be published in a thematic ISBN volume dedicated to the panel’s core areas of interest. Papers may be submitted in either English or Romanian. This thematic volume will complement the conference’s main publication outlet – Studia Securitatis, an ERIH PLUS indexed academic journal, by providing a focused editorial framework for contributions addressing public security governance, emergency management, cyber resilience, public order and homeland security.