In the past two decades, a series of disruptive innovations in digital technology have transformed political, cultural, economic, and social systems. This era is marked by the rapid, global, and cross- sectoral spread of technological changes, whose accelerating pace increasingly strains institutional frameworks once considered stable and resilient.
Europe is particularly vulnerable, facing complex, multi-dimensional threats and systemic risks. This vulnerability was starkly demonstrated by the invasion of Ukraine in February 2022—a sudden and severe manifestation of these risks. Similarly, in the Middle East, ongoing conflicts in Gaza and Lebanon reveal how information has become a critical asset in warfare, with significant global repercussions.
The wars in Ukraine and the Middle East illustrate the intensified importance of informational warfare, which now complements traditional conflict arenas—land, sea, air, and cyberspace. The rise of information warfare marks a paradigm shift, driven by rapid technological advancement.
The present moment is defined by a cascade of unprecedented disruptions, unimaginable just two decades ago, that are reshaping the world and redefining the attributes of power. Technological issues, therefore, cannot be addressed purely from a technical perspective; they are deeply political and geopolitical.
This course examines these transformative dynamics in international relations, focusing on the impact of technological change, artificial intelligence, and new forms of informational conflict from traditional warfare to information warfare, from terrorist methods to AI-powered propaganda, from old coup to new means of influencing mass and public opinions in democracies. The course aims to provide students with a comprehensive methodological and scientific framework, as well as historical and sociological insights, to analyze these transformations and their effects on the political structures of European and Middle Eastern countries.
Positioned at the intersection of geopolitics, political science, the history of technology, information studies, and artificial intelligence as applied to social sciences, this course reflects a commitment to renewing and expanding transdisciplinary approaches in international relations.
LEARNING OUTCOMES
By the end of the class, students will have earned solid basis with the following outcomes:
• A general understanding of the stakes surrounding AI and its impact on global geopolitics
• Insights into the impact of recent AI and information technology developments on non-state actors, including but not limited to non-state actors and state actors, online communities
• An understanding of the dynamics of informational warfare as a new space of conflict, with case studies on the war in Ukraine and the conflicts in the Middle East.
• Familiarity with AI software as research tools.
PROFESSIONAL SKILLS
This class will equip students with the following skills, which are directly applicable in professional contexts:
• A general understanding of the technicalities behind the AI tools and applications in the field of social science research.
• Knowledge of the dynamics of AI regulation, including objectives, practical impacts, and regional differences worldwide.
• An understanding of the threats posed by AI when used by rival or hostile actors, as well as related strategies and counterstrategies.
• Insights into the threats of AI utilization by non-state actors and corresponding strategies and counterstrategies
• This class will be based on the involvement of the students in class. Each week, they'll have to prepare for the seminars. The Prof provide a lecture and lead an open conversation with all the students in class. Students will have to do at least one oral presentation over the course of the semester.
This class will be based on the involvement of the students in class. Each week, they'll have to prepare for the seminars. The Prof provide a lecture and lead an open conversation with all the students in class. Students will have to do at least one oral presentation over the course of the semester.
• Preparation of the course and oral participation (10%)
• Final exam : by the end of the semester (65%).
Academic Freedom:
With the aim of advancing and deepening everyone's understanding of the issues addressed in the course, students are urged to speak their minds, exchange with everyone and explore ideas and arguments, engage in civil and respectful – if robust – discussions. No ideas are out of bound and there is no thought or language policing. We expect students to do business in the proper currency of intellectual discourse—a currency consisting of reasons, evidence, and arguments.