Transatlantic Law, Outreach, and National Security Conference Held at Syracuse University and University of Bergen

Transatlantic Law, Outreach, and National Security Conference Held at Syracuse University and University of Bergen

The Transatlantic Alliance for Law, Outreach and National Security (TALONS) Conference, a groundbreaking event, took place at the University of Bergen, Norway, marking the culmination of several years' work in furthering the field of national security law in the wake of the war in Ukraine.

Hosted by the Syracuse University Institute for Security Policy and Law (SPL) and the University of Bergen Faculty of Law, the conference brought together scholars and officials from 16 universities and 12 states, including Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Ukraine, and the U.S.

The conference aimed to support frontline states, particularly Ukraine, in preparing for post-conflict resolution. It was an academic alliance based on shared values, with law recognized as both a democratic and national security value.

The event focused on "Best Practices in National Security Law: The Frontline State Perspective." The four main goals of the conference were:

1. Establish an ongoing alliance of security scholars committed to teaching national security law in frontline states.
2. Create a forum for exchanging ideas on national security and education among these scholars.
3. Provide opportunities for participants to publish their research and reach broader audiences.
4. Identify best practices for addressing current and future security threats consistent with democratic values.

Immediate outcomes included the planned publication of articles by conference participants in the Eastern European Journal of Transnational Relations. These articles will cover diverse topics such as Russia’s interference in the Romanian presidential election, hybrid warfare, cybersecurity, and Russian and Chinese security threats in the Arctic.

Moreover, University of Bialystok Professor Charles Szymański and the Hon. James E. Baker, director of the Institute for Security Policy and Law, will edit and contribute to a treatise on National Security Law in the Frontline States.

The Hon. James E. Baker emphasized the importance of showing up, highlighting the critical role of recognizing and communicating these shared values in the context of this academic alliance. The conference underscored the need for collaboration on national security education and legal challenges faced by frontline states, paving the way for the Second Annual TALONS Conference on Best Practices in National Security Law, set to take place at the University of Eastern Finland in June 2026.

[1] Topic related to Russia's efforts to subvert the Romanian presidential election [2] Topic related to hybrid warfare [3] Topic related to cybersecurity [4] Topic related to Russian and Chinese security threats in the Arctic

1. The academic alliance formed at the TALONS Conference, including scholars from various universities, aims to identify and address best practices for countering hybrid warfare, such as Russia's interference in the Romanian presidential election.
2. The subsequent publication of articles by conference participants in the Eastern European Journal of Transnational Relations will cover critical topics like cybersecurity, as well as the ongoing security challenges posed by Russian and Chinese activities in the Arctic.

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