There is no doubt that the world lives through heated geopolitical times again. Shifts in international balances of power were already ongoing, but the first months of the Trump presidency have made it abundantly clear that the ‘American global order’ as we knew it is null and void and that the global and European security architecture is fraying at the seams. Multilateralism may well make place for ‘the deal’, supported by open and veiled threats to America’s adversaries and allies alike. All things point to further informalisation and roughening of international politics, and cyberspace will not be different. But will this rising disorder – in the end – be followed by a re-ordering? And, if so, what will a new cyber order look like? Will diplomacy and the rule of law have a role to play, or will state behaviour shape the normative landscape of cyberspace?

The cyber domain is no island and takes direction from the geopolitical and geoeconomic changes in the international system. Already Russia is ramping up its hybrid and cyber operations in Europe and this is likely to continue and increase. Cyber activities below the threshold of armed conflict – the grey zone – will likely take centre stage as the main theatre of cyber conflict, raising questions about the capabilities and mandates of state cyber agencies. Europe will have to develop its geopolitical voice and posture to ensure that the rhetoric of digital sovereignty, strategic autonomy and geoeconomic investments, are translated into policies, budgets and politics. That holds true for its relations with the US and China, but also with rising middle powers like India and Brazil, and other countries in the majority world. How will states navigate the limits and opportunities of global disorder in cyberspace and which countries will step forward in crafting a new order?

Any re-ordering will also have to take into account relations with the corporate rulers of the digital domain. Large digital platforms and corporations that are part of international digital supply chains – like semiconductors – are increasingly in a position of power. States may want to weaponize ‘their’ corporations for geopolitical purposes, but these companies also wade into international conflict of their own accord, as we have seen in Ukraine. Some American Big Tech corporations have aligned with Trump’s America First agenda to fight regulation outside of the US, like the EU regulations on AI and content regulation. What role will transnational digital companies – from all corners of the world – take in both the disorder and the re-ordering of the international political system?              

In 2025, we want to discuss the disorder, turmoil and geopolitical transformation of cyberspace. What are the challenges for the existing digital order – such as it is – and where do we go from here? Are we heading for a digital anarchy, or can we agree on some basic rules of interaction – on paper and in practice? How to deal with the shift in transatlantic relations and the rapid changes to the global and European security architecture? How do countries engage with digital companies that operate more and more autonomously, and how does that relate to state ideas about geopolitical ordering in the digital sphere? We hope to see these, and many other related, questions asked and answered at the 2025 Conference on International Cyber Security.      

This is the eighth annual academic conference of The Hague Program on International Cyber Security. We welcome all papers that have an interesting take on the theme of disorder, geopolitical transformation and re-ordering of cyberspace. As always, we aim to bring together scholars from a diverse range of disciplines including – but not limited to – international relations, international law, economics, political economy, security studies, political sociology, philosophy, political science, science and technology studies and engineering. The key to understanding international cyber security lies in bringing together the various disciplines that relate to the theme in a broad sense. This call for papers is therefore open to abstracts from a wide range of academic disciplines.

The annual conferences of The Hague Program on International Cyber Security have become a key multidisciplinary venue for peer-reviewed research in the study of cyber security and international stability. See our website for the program and impressions of the previous editions of the conference.  

We welcome abstracts of maximum 2500 characters (approximately 400 words) on questions related to the theme of Order, disorder, re-order? Geopolitics and the transformation of cyberspace in a broad sense. We explicitly welcome contributions from early career scholars. The conference will take place in The Hague on 4 and 5 November 2025. Authors of accepted extended abstracts should prepare their full paper by 15 September 2025. A best paper prize will be awarded. Accepted contributors are eligible for funding for travel, lodging, and visa costs and do not need to pay a conference fee.‍

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How to submit your abstract?

• Abstracts can only be submitted through this form: https://fd24.formdesk.com/universiteitleiden/cyberconf2025‍
• Please make sure your abstract submission meets the following requirements:
  • Length: maximum 2500 characters (approximately 400 words)
  • Blind review/anonymous: please leave out your name and other identifying details in the submitted abstract text
• Abstracts that do not adhere to the above requirements and/or are not submitted through the form, will not be reviewed.

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Important dates

• Submission of abstracts: Thursday 15 May 2025, 23:59 (CET)
• Notification of acceptance: Wednesday 18 June 2025
• Submission of full paper (max. 6000 words excl. footnotes and literature – for references, preferably use Chicago Manual of Style [preferred citation format being author-date]): Monday 15 September 2025
• Feedback by review committee: Wednesday 15 October 2025
• Conference presentation: Tuesday 4 and Wednesday 5 November 2025

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For questions, please contact us at conference@thehagueprogram.nl

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