The Institute for Political Studies on Defence and Military History, in partnership with the Institute for Strategy and War Studies from Denmark, organized, over 22-26 May, the annual conference of the Conflict Studies Working Group (CSWG) of the Partnership for Peace Consortium of the Defence Academies and Institutes for Security Studies. The theme of the conference addressed the issue: Shaping Nations for Conflict and War. Propaganda, Disinformation and Strategic Communication. Implications for Policy Makers. The activity was conducted at Nicolae Balcescu Land Forces Academy from Sibiu County.

The annual conferences of the CSWG within the PfP Consortium are part of the international scientific activities in the field of military history, security and defence. The event brought together renowned historians and specialists from 19 NATO member states and partners (Austria, Bulgaria, the Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Finland, Georgia, Germany, the Netherlands, Romania, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, the United States of America, Sweden, Poland, Turkey, Ukraine and Hungary), thus representing an extended platform for scientific dialogue and cooperation in the field of research.

The working sessions of the conference were opened by the message of the State Secretary for Defence Policy, Planning and International Relations within the Ministry of National Defence, Simona Cojocaru, who emphasized the need to understand of how disinformation and propaganda were and are used as tools of waging war, decesively influencing the type of action of the states.

Lieutenant General Iulian Berdila, as representative of the Defence Staff, the Executive Director of the PfP Consortium, Dr. Raphael F. Perl (USA), Dr. Carmen-Sorina Rijnoveanu, Director of the Institute for Political Studies on Defence and History and Dr. Niels Bo Poulsen, Director of the Institute for Strategy and War Studies from Denmark also took the floor. Lieutenant-General Iulian Berdila emphasized the importance of increasing scientific dialogue and the need to build an extended platform for debates that would allow both the knowledge of historical experiences and the way the past can facilitate a better understanding of the current dynamics of conflicts.

The communications held during the conference addressed issues related to how propaganda was used during the two world war conflagrations, the role of strategic communication as part of actions taken to counter disinformation, the use of mass communication tools, propaganda techniques and disinformation over time of war, etc. During the conference, the officials presented case studies, starting from specific national historical experiences, as well as aspects related to the current information warfare.

The scientific activities carried out by the CSWG within the PfP Consortium represent an important contribution to the development of regional cooperation and dialogue, providing, at the same time, a valuable platform for the knowledge and understanding of the warfare phenomenon, as a whole.

The Press Office