The second edition of Information Technology for Peace and Security – IT Applications and Infrastructures in Conflicts, Crises, War, and Peace has just been released, five years after its initial publication in 2019. This revised and expanded textbook, edited by Prof. Dr. Dr. Christian Reuter and the PEASEC-Team delves into the pivotal role that technological and scientific advancements—particularly in information technology (IT) and artificial intelligence (AI)—play in the realms of peace and security.
The book introduces foundational concepts in peace, conflict, and security research, focusing on natural, technical, and computer science perspectives. Subsequent chapters explore critical issues such as cyber conflicts, cyber arms control, cyber attribution, the role of AI, and the importance of ICT infrastructures in managing peace and conflict.
In light of recent political and security developments, this edition includes new analyses on global conflicts, including Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022 and the Israel-Hamas conflict in 2023. It examines how ICTs and social media are increasingly influential in conflict zones, enabling coordination for those fleeing violence, while also facilitating disinformation campaigns during elections and crises worldwide.
Comprising contributions from 31 authors across 14 universities and research institutes, this book emphasizes the necessity of interdisciplinary research in technical peace and security studies to understand and address the implications of rapid technological progress.
Funding:
This work was supported by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) as well as by the Hessen State Ministry for Higher Education, Research and the Arts (HMWK) within their joint support of the National Research Center for Applied Cybersecurity ATHENE, by the German Research Foundation (DFG) within the Collaborative Research Centre 1119 CROSSING (236615297) and by the BMBF within TraCe, the Regional Research Center Transformations of Political Violence (01UG2203E).
Reuter (2024): Information Technology for Peace and Security – IT Applications and Infrastructures in Conflicts, Crises, War, and Peace; https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-658-44810-3; eBook ISBN: 978-3-658-44810-3
- Explores the history and dangerous future of unchecked information warfare
- Describes efforts to promote cyber arms control by building trust and transparency
- Establishes a new research direction: information technology for peace and security
Chapters:
Part I: Introduction and Fundamentals
- Chapter 1: An Overview and Introduction to Information Technology for Peace and Security / Christian Reuter, Jonas Franken, Anja-Liisa Gonsior, Laura Guntrum, Stefka Schmid
- Chapter 2: Peace Informatics: Bridging Peace and Conflict Studies with Computer Science / Christian Reuter, Anja-Liisa Gonsior, Thea Riebe, Marc-André Kaufhold
- Chapter 3: Natural Science/Technical Peace Research / Jürgen Altmann
Part II: Cyber Conflicts and War
- Chapter 4: Information Warfare: From Doctrine to Permanent Conflict / Ingo Ruhmann, Ute Bernhardt
- Chapter 5: Cyber Espionage and Cyber Defence / Dominik Herrmann
- Chapter 6: Darknets and Civil Security / Kai Denker, Marcel Schäfer, Martin Steinebach
Part III: Cyber Peace
- Chapter 7: From Cyber War to Cyber Peace / Thomas Reinhold, Christian Reuter
- Chapter 8: Dual-Use Information Technology: Research, Development and Governance / Thea Riebe, Stefka Schmid, Christian Reuter
- Chapter 9: Confidence and Security Building Measures for Cyber Forces / Jürgen Altmann
Part IV: Cyber Arms Control
- Chapter 10: Arms Control and Its Applicability to Cyberspace / Thomas Reinhold, Christian Reuter
- Chapter 11: Verification in Cyberspace / Thomas Reinhold, Christian Reuter
- Chapter 12: Attribution of Cyber Attacks / Klaus-Peter Saalbach
Part V: Cyber Infrastructures
- Chapter 13: Secure Critical Infrastructures / Jonas Franken, Christian Reuter
- Chapter 14: Resilient Critical Infrastructures / Matthias Hollick, Stefan Katzenbeisser
- Chapter 15: Security of Critical Information Infrastructures / Tobias Dehling, Sebastian Lins, Ali Sunyaev
Part VI: Artificial Intelligence
- Chapter 16: Artificial Intelligence and Cyber Weapons / Thomas Reinhold, Christian Reuter
- Chapter 17: Unmanned Systems: The Robotic Revolution as a Challenge for Arms Control / Niklas Schörnig
Part VII: ICT in Peace and Conflict
- Chapter 18: Cultural Violence and Peace Interventions in Social Media / Marc-André Kaufhold, Jasmin Haunschild, Christian Reuter
- Chapter 19: Political Activism on Social Media in Conflict and War / Konstantin Aal, Sarah Rüller, Maximilian Krüger, Markus Rohde, Borislav Tadic, Volker Wulf
- Chapter 20: Digital Peacebuilding and PeaceTech / Lisa Schirch
Part VIII: Outlook
- Chapter 21: Teaching Peace Informatics: Reflections from Lectures and Exercises / Christian Reuter, Thea Riebe, Jasmin Haunschild, Thomas Reinhold, Stefka Schmid
- Chapter 22: Outlook: The Future of IT in Peace and Security / Christian Reuter, Konstantin Aal, Jürgen Altmann, Ute Bernhardt, Kai Denker, Jonas Franken et al.