OAGR 2215 - The New Geopolitics of Cyberspace, Intelligence, Surveillance and New Technologies

***UPDATED for 2026/27***

This policy-focused course explores the evolving domain of cyberspace and its impact on intelligence, surveillance, and geopolitics. Cyberspace is now central to key geopolitical issues of great power competition, irregular warfare and technological rivalry that will have wide ranging impacts on global security.

Cyberspace presents a series of fascinating challenges for students of international security. This is primarily because it tears up existing categories including the boundary between the domestic and the international. In cyberspace countries can launch cyberattacks against each other without physically crossing international borders and these activities are increasingly framed as an ‘intelligence contest’. Cyberconflict is converging with real world geopolitics. Increasingly states are engaging in cyber attacks on critical infrastructure to gain strategic advantage in conflicts/war or to conduct influence operations or to spy on other countries. Malign influence operations and electoral interference have become an important foreign policy strategy, accelerated by the application of artificial intelligence (AI). Hostile activities in cyberspace are omnipresent including: trolling, hacking, ransomware attacks, and disruption of communication networks.

Who governs this new space? National security had traditionally been “owned” by government agencies in most countries, but now cybersecurity is almost universally privatized, raising the question of who is actually in charge? Technology actors are also becoming central, albeit somewhat unwilling actors, in these new hybrid wars. Most recently lawmakers worldwide are considering the potential negative security repercussions of foreign telecommunications and social media companies and AI start-ups.

Understanding cyberspace has become an important diplomatic tool. The concept of digital sovereignty, or a country’s ability to control its own digital infrastructure and data is becoming increasingly difficult to enforce and is leading to even greater conflicts between countries. States are increasingly interested in “cyberpower” and “cyberdiplomacy”, deploying experts in internet regulation and governance from their embassies. Overall, cyberspace challenges traditional boundaries between international and national entities by creating multiple cross-border interactions, threats and conflicts. As such, policymakers and governments must develop new strategies and regulations to manage these challenges in the interest of international security and stability.

This course offers not only an opportunity to reflect on the future of cybersecurity, but also situates this in the wider landscape of the latest digital developments across, politics, intelligence, and communications, including matters such as supply chain security and resilience of critical national infrastructure. It is essential for individuals, organizations and governments to take proactive steps to mitigate these risks.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

• Understand the role of intelligence and surveillance in cyberspace.
• Acquire a theoretical understanding of the nature of cyberspace.
• Analyze the impact of the Big Techs and platform economics on global politics.
• Understand the changing landscape of defense and deterrence in cyberspace.
• Acquire a theoretical understanding of cyber power and cyber diplomacy.
• Consider issues of cybercrime and cyberterrorism
• Examine the geopolitics of cyberspace.
• Examine the future impact of AI and Big Data on international affairs.

PROFESSIONAL SKILLS

• Communicating effectively and adequately orally.
• Collecting and analyzing information to increase understanding of a topic or issue.
• Understanding and taking into account the priorities and concerns of others.
• Greater understanding of emerging technologies and technology assessments
• Creative thinking, Critical thinking and Strategic thinking
• Understanding how issues can have policy impact.
• Strategic and political consulting.
• Communicating effectively and adequately in writing.
• Looking at problems or situations from an original perspective.
• Enhance your ability to write clear, concise, and valuable policy papers.

None

The course requires students to be inclusive and open to interdisciplinary thinking as well as open to new perspectives on different subjects and regions of the world. Based on the discussion of key readings and using several interactive teaching methods (e.g. presentations of group activities and Oxford-Style Debates).

Feedback on Oxford-style debates and group work will be shared immediately after the session either publicly or privately depending on the outcome.

The assessment of students' performance will be based on three main elements:

• class participation in activities 25%
• group work 25%
• final policy paper 50%

The course will also be graded through class participation on discussions about the readings and supplementary audios, and videos that will be assigned to the class in preparation of the lectures (25%) as well as projects prepared in class (25%).

The individual policy paper will focus on a relevant topic, to be approved by the instructor, situated broadly within the overall topic and themes discussed in this class. The process towards the policy paper will include the following steps and deadlines:

• Proposition of a paper topic due at the beginning of session 3, including:
• a security issue including a description of the current security challenge(s)
• an argument supporting why finding a solution to this issue is important,
• a list of relevant scholarly literature to support and provide evidence of the issue
• the approach and method used to describe the policy question,
• provide creative and innovative ideas on short, medium, and long term policy and/or local, national, regional, and international responses to deal with the issue.

Examples of effective, concise, and valuable policy papers will be distributed in class for guidance.

• A draft policy paper will be submitted no later than session 7 and will be returned to you the following week with comments.
• The final policy paper will be due at the beginning of session 11, fully referenced with an approximate length between 5,000-6,000 words (to be submitted electronically to christina.liang@sciencespo.fr)

• Attendance: 4-hours classes / 24 hours a semester
• Online learning activities: 1 hours a week / 24 hours a semester
• Reading and Preparation for Class: 3 hours a week / 36 hours a semester
• Research and Preparation for Group Work: 1 hour a week / 12 hours a semester.
• Research and Writing for Individual Assessments: 2 hours a week / 24 hours a semester.