Syracuse University and University of Bergen Host Transatlantic Alliance for Law, Outreach and National Security Conference

The Syracuse University Institute for Security Policy and Law (SPL) and the University of Bergen Faculty of Law recently hosted a group of national security scholars from 16 universities and 12 states at the first Transatlantic Alliance for Law, Outreach and National Security (TALONS) Conference at the University of Bergen, Norway.

The scholars and officials came together for the topic “Best Practices in National Security Law: The Frontline State Perspective.” The conference included participants from Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Ukraine and the U.S.

The conference had four goals:

(1) establish an ongoing and lasting alliance of security scholars in the frontline states committed to teaching national security law;

(2) create an ongoing forum to exchange ideas about national security and teaching national security in the frontline states;

(3) give participants an opportunity to publish their work and reach a wider audience; and

(4) identify best practices derived from experience to help all the frontline states to identify and address present and future security threats and do so consistent with our shared legal and democratic values.

Outcomes from the conference were immediate:

• The Eastern European Journal of Transnational Relations will publish articles on the conference and its key findings and articles from conference participants on topics ranging from Russia’s efforts to subvert the Romanian presidential election, hybrid warfare, cybersecurity, and Russian and Chinese threats to the Arctic.
• University of Bialystok Professor and JDi Distinguished Lecturer Charles Szymański, with the Hon. James E. Baker, director of the Institute for Security Policy and Law, will edit as well as contribute to a treatise on National Security Law in the Frontline States.
• The University of Eastern Finland will host the Second Annual TALONS Conference on Best Practices in National Security Law in June 2026.

“The conference was the culmination of several years’ work on furthering the field of national security law in the wake of the war in Ukraine,” says Baker. “The free exchange of ideas and recommendations that resulted from the conference is critical to supporting the frontline states and, in the case of Ukraine, preparing for post-conflict resolution.

“Law is both a democratic and national security value. At a time when law and security are threatened, recognizing and communicating these values is vital. Courage loves company. And as with any alliance—and this is an academic alliance based on shared values—one cannot overemphasize the importance of showing up.”