The Annual Conference of the Peace and Conflict Research Network NRW, titled “NRW: Zwischen Aufrüstung und innerem Frieden”, will take place on 14 September 2026 at the University of Bonn. The conference brings together researchers and practitioners to discuss current challenges in peace and conflict research in the context of changing security dynamics, military rearmament, and societal polarization.

The program features panel discussions on “Peace and Ethical Economic Action in Times of Rearmament” and “Polarization in Times of Flight and Migration”, followed by the annual network meeting.

Dr. Carmen Wunderlich (University of Duisburg-Essen) will participate in the panel on “Peace and Ethical Economic Action in Times of Rearmament”, while Dr. Ana de la Varga (RWTH Aachen University) will co-moderate the network meeting.

The conference provides a platform for interdisciplinary exchange on current questions in peace and conflict research and brings together perspectives from academia, research institutions, and practitioners.

Registration for the conference is open until 08 September 2026. Further information, the program, and registration details are available here!

Hosted by the Alva Myrdal Centre for Nuclear Disarmament at the University of Uppsala, the annual multidisciplinary AMC conference, themed Building Blocks for Disarmament, took place between June 9-10. VeSPoTec researchers participated and presented in two panels. They used this platform to air new ideas and show preliminary research. Especially the discussions proved that it is possible to engage scholars from social sciences and natural sciences with practitioners in dialogue towards ways forward to controlling the spread of nuclear weapons and disarmament –  the ultimate goal.

Julian J. Schäfer (RWTH Aachen) and Robin E. Möser (PRIF) presented in the panel 2B: Verification systems: reflections and evolving approaches, whereas Kim Westerich-Fellner introduced a newly established nuclear disarmament verification initiative organized by Forschungszentrum Jülich in the session 1B: Approaches for Disarmament Verification.

What factors influence knowledge production in verification regimes, such as the NPT or the CTBT? Julian J. Schäfer presented the conference paper, “Verification as forming and performing of knowledge infrastructures”, co-authored by Linda Ostermann and Stefan Böschen. He proposed an analytical approach to answering this question, interpreting nuclear verification regimes as knowledge infrastructures and focusing on the institutional, technical, organisational, and classification layers in which knowledge is produced, but also limited, for trust-building.

In his presentation titled Societal Verification and Nuclear Proliferation: Opportunities and Challenges of an alternative Approach to Verification, Robin E. Möser shared first impressions from his interviews with practitioners on societal verification and how non-state actors engage in the production of verification-relevant information.

In a session on future approaches to disarmament verification, Kim Westerich-Fellner introduced the Expert Panel on Nuclear Disarmament Verification (EXPAND), a newly established non-governmental initiative that seeks to complement and inform multilateral and UN-led efforts by assessing existing and emerging verification technologies and mechanisms, and outlining practical pathways for future nuclear arms control and disarmament agreements.

All in all, the two-day conference provided a stimulating forum for exchanging and discussing ideas on current security challenges, among old friends and new acquaintances.

In June 2026, Julian Schäfer and Linda Ostermann from VeSPoTec attended this year’s insightful conference, “At the Edge? How Europe Should Respond to Nuclear Threats”, which was hosted by Dr Thomas Müller-Färber and the Protestant Academy Loccum in Germany. As in previous years, the Protestant Academy had assembled a diverse group of academic, political, and activist experts, mainly from Europe and the USA, to discuss how Europe is facing a new nuclear order.
The conference began with a kick-off talk on the risks of the “Third Nuclear Age”, continued with three informative presentations on the positions of China, the US and Russia, followed by a policy panel on the perspective of the European nuclear weapons states. Other topics explored included the current role of nuclear disarmament and the contributions of European non-nuclear weapons states. Linda Ostermann moderated the breakout session, “Still Room for Contribution? How Could Europe Add to Nuclear Risk Minimisation and Arms Control”, which – among other topics – featured an insightful discussion with the audience on the stance of the Nordic countries with Tarja Cronberg (SIPRI) and Oliver Meier (ELN).
The conference concluded with a discussion on the potential future role of the European nuclear have-nots. We would like to thank the Protestant Academy Loccum for three exciting days and look forward to returning next year.

A new special collection in the Zeitschrift für Friedens- und Konfliktforschung (ZeFKo) examines the future of nuclear verification in an increasingly contested global environment. Bringing together technical, political, and social-scientific perspectives, the collection explores how verification regimes for non-proliferation, arms control, and disarmament can adapt to emerging challenges, including geopolitical competition, technological change, and misinformation.

Central questions addressed in the special issue include how verification mechanisms can be further developed to respond to emerging threats, what role new technologies (such as AI and remote sensing) play in strengthening verification, how geopolitical rivalries affect the credibility of arms control agreements, and what lessons can be drawn from regional experiences in nuclear governance.

Edited by Dr. Hassan Elbahtimy (King’s College London), Prof. Dr. Malte Göttsche (CNTR / PRIF), and Dr. Ana de la Varga (RWTH Aachen), the collection highlights both the resilience and vulnerabilities of contemporary verification systems.

The full collection will be published soon here.