The Stockholm International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI) proudly hosted the third Stockholm Security Conference which took place 0n 19–20 September. The theme of the 2018 Stockholm Security Conference (SSC 18) was on ‘Emerging technologies: Unseen connections, missing players, absent solutions’.
There is significant concern about the implications of emerging technologies on international security but uncertainty about the scope and shape of the problem. Discussions tend to be confined within technological stove-pipes—biological terrorism, autonomous weapons, nuclear doctrines, etc. Yet some of the most severe risks arise from the combination of different technologies.
SSC 18 was a step towards properly understanding those links. It brought together politicians, diplomats, the private sector, international lawyers and non-governmental experts into plenary and break-out sessions. SSC 18 connected analysis of emerging technologies with discussion surrounding responses—the desirability and feasibility of international norms and the appropriateness of arms control frameworks.
The 2018 Stockholm Security Conference was organized in partnership with the Riksdag (the Swedish Parliament) and the Munich Security Conference (MSC). During the conference, SIPRI and the MSC signed a memorandum of understanding to promote mutual collaboration and visibility on both research and events.
Participation to the conference was by invitation only.