About Security in Open Societies

In a world of asymmetrical conflicts and geopolitical turbulence, the preservation of internal and external security has become a major strategic concern for democratic states. Security concerns permeate the way in which societies and governments address a wide range of phenomena, ranging from IT innovations and public infrastructure to sports tournaments, shopping centres and major crowd events. Fake news, trans-border crime, terrorist attacks and cyber threats caused once robust security structures to no longer be sufficient.

How can governments provide security to their citizens without trampling democratic values and the rule of law?

Security in Open Societies organises interdisciplinary academic meetings, strategy sessions and roundtables with public organisations, and aims to develop an academic research agenda that is informed by pressing matters in society surrounding security and democracy. Our current partners include researchers from four faculties, ministries, police and the military, NGO’s. We are currently open for expansion of this network.

Interdisciplinary platform

The IOS-platform Security in Open Societies aims to offer an independent, interdisciplinary platform for accurate and systematic knowledge on production and co-production, knowledge-sharing and debate among actors engaged in and affected by new forms of security governance.