Under the patronage of Professor Dr. Baha Ibrahim Insaf, President of the University of Baghdad, and the supervision of Assistant Professor Dr. Adel Al-Badawi, Director of the Center for Strategic and International Studies, the Department of Strategic Studies held a symposium titled:
“The Implications of Cyber Warfare and the Use of Smart Technologies for International Security and Peace.”
The symposium aimed to shed light on the growing threats posed by cyber warfare to the critical infrastructure of nations and to reevaluate concepts of national sovereignty and international security in an era of increasingly frequent and borderless cyberattacks. It also explored how emerging smart technologies can be harnessed to meet future security challenges.
Five key themes were addressed during the event:
- Legal and political dimensions of cyber warfare and their impact on international security and peace.
- Security implications of cyber warfare at the national, regional, and global levels.
- Global economic repercussions resulting from cyberattacks.
- The role of smart technologies in mitigating future cyber threats.
- International cooperation strategies to balance the use of advanced technologies with the need for sustainable global security.
The symposium focused on achieving several strategic and academic objectives, including:
- Identifying major threats targeting critical infrastructure through cyberattacks and their direct impact on global economic, political, and security stability.
- Rethinking the concepts of national sovereignty and international security, given the ambiguous nature of cyber warfare and the difficulty of attributing attacks to specific actors.
- Contributing to academic research with the latest insights into technologies used in cyber conflicts and fostering knowledge exchange among scholars and experts.
- Tracking developments in smart technology and assessing its potential in strengthening global peace and security efforts.
- Highlighting the global cyber arms race and the evolving role of artificial intelligence in enhancing both defensive and offensive cyber capabilities.
The symposium concluded with a series of key recommendations, most notably:
- Strengthening international partnerships in the field of cybersecurity.
- Updating academic curricula to reflect rapid digital developments.
- Supporting specialized research aimed at developing innovative solutions to protect global peace and security in the digital age.
This event is part of the University of Baghdad’s broader efforts to enhance its academic and research contributions to critical contemporary issues, particularly those affecting national and international security. It also reflects the university’s commitment to deepening strategic understanding of modern technological challenges.
