Resilient Intelligence in an Era of Democratic Backsliding
This programme is not yet final and is subject to change.
Day 1
2 december 2026
| 09.00 – 09.30 | Registration |
| 09.30 – 09.45 | Welcome |
| 09.45 – 10.30 | Keynote 1 Bart Jacobs (Radboud University Nijmegen) |
| 10.30 – 11.00 | Break |
| 11.00 – 12.00 | Panel 1: Leadership Chair: Michael Kowalski (Leiden University) -> Ronan Mainprize (Stockholm School of Economics), “Leadership, legitimacy, and the erosion of intelligence independence” -> Hager Ben Jaffel (French National Centre for Scientific Research) and Hedvig Örden (Lund University), “Intelligence agencies as worldmakers and the struggle over ordering” -> Matteo Giurco (University of Modena and Reggio Emilia), “Intelligence leadership during times of transition: Fulvio Martini and the Italian Military Intelligence and Security Service (SISMi) at the end of the Cold War (1989-1991)” |
| Panel 2: Professionalization Chair: Bas Rietjens (Netherlands Defence Academy and Leiden University) -> Paul Oling (Netherlands Defence Academy and Leiden University), “Balancing exploration and exploitation: studying innovation capabilities in Dutch intelligence and security organizations through participatory inquiry” -> Michael Kowalski (Leiden University), “Strengthening ethical competences of intelligence professionals: an exploration of experiences and their effects on the role of services as guardians of democracy” -> An Gaiser (An Gaiser Consultancy), “Emotional hijack and operational decision-making: rethinking training for intelligence and security professionals” | |
| 12.00 – 13.00 | Lunch |
| 13.00 – 14.00 | Panel 3: Interacting with academia Chair: Sylvie Bavelaar (NISA board member) -> David Snetselaar (Netherlands Defence Academy), “The science-security nexus: conflicting imperatives in the governing of international science amid geopolitical competition” -> Eleni Braat (Utrecht University), “Dealing with intelligence services when researching their history” -> Constant Hijzen (Dutch Intelligence and Security Service and Leiden University), Applying intelligence history: a theoretical and practical reflection |
| Panel 4: Interacting with hybrid threats Chair: Sophie Harleman (Central Bank of the Netherlands) -> Paolo Macri (Università degli Studi della Tuscia), “Resilient intelligence against hybrid threats: the Italian case (2015-2025) -> Ana Barros and Kees den Hollander, “‘Old wine, faster bottling’: from AI-amplified influence to multi-domain early warning for hybrid threats” -> Ludo Block (Netherlands Defence Academy) and Gilliam de Valk (Leiden University), “From source to analyst: the Admiralty Code and the issue of the acquisition criticism” | |
| 14.00 – 15.00 | Keynote 2 Rory Cormac (professor of International relations, University of Nottingham) |
| 14.45 – 15.15 | Break |
| 15.15 – 16.15 | Panel 5: Claiming authority Chair: Eleni Braat (Utrecht University) -> Quentin Jalabert (Leiden University), “Disclosing intelligence, revealing the truth: Habermasochism and the French state’s quest for epistemic authority” -> Aiden Hoyle, Thomas Maguire, and Damien Van Puyvelde (Leiden University), “European audience reception of authorised intelligence disclosure on hybrid threats” -> Damien Van Puyvelde (Leiden University), “From secrecy to public policy: the evolution of the DGSE and French intelligence” |
| Panel 6: Interacting with technology Chair: Erik Elgersma (Strategic Analysis Services) -> Angeliki Martinou (Brunel University), “Professionalization, technology and the predicament for intelligence analysis” -> Martine Jaarsma (University of Antwerp), “A ‘Single Version of the Truth’: NATO’s Maven Smart System and the Promise of Total Situational Awareness” -> Tess Horlings (Dutch Defense Academy), “Aligning Expertise, Shaping Technology: AI Development for Operational Intelligence in the Dutch Special Interventions Division” | |
| 16.30 – 18.00 | The Hague espionage city walk |
| 18.00 | Diner |
Day 2
3 december 2026
| 09.00 – 09.30 | Registration |
| 09.30 – 10.15 | Keynote 3 Thorsten Wetzling (head research Unit ‘Digital Rights, Surveillance and Democracy, interface |
| 10.15 – 11.15 | Panel 7: Accountability Chair: Peter de Werd (Netherlands Defence Academy) -> Kira Vrist Rønn (University of Southern Denmark), “Translations of intelligence: emerging roles of civil society in intelligence practices” -> Judith Lichtenberg (Dutch Review Committee on the Intelligence and Security Services) on accountability according to the Review Committee -> Hanan Thaher (Università degli Studi della Tuscia), “Resilient oversight: strengthening democratic accountability in algorithmic public administration” |
| Panel 8: Violence and abuse Chair: Constant Hijzen (Dutch Intelligence and Security Services and Leiden University) -> “Governance weaknesses and vulnerabilities for the misuse of intelligence by the US government” -> Lena Riecke (Leiden University), “How spyware market governance risks failing by design” -> Thomas Wegener Friis (University of Southern Denmark), title t.b.a. | |
| 11.15 – 11.45 | Break |
| 11.45 – 12.30 | Keynote 4 Daniela Richterova, Associate Professor in Intelligence Studies at the Department of War Studies, King’s College London. |
| 12.30 – 13.00 | Closing remarks |