Security Studies Center
Heir to a tradition dating back to the founding of Ifri, the Security Studies Center provides public and private decision-makers as well as the general public with the keys to understanding power relations and contemporary modes of conflict as well as those to come. Through its positioning at the juncture of politics and operations, the credibility of its civil-military team and the wide distribution of its publications in French and English, the Center for Security Studies constitutes in the French landscape of think tanks a unique center of research and influence on the national and international defense debate.
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Director of the Security Studies Center & Coordinator of the Defense Research Laboratory, Ifri
Related research programs
Publications
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Titre Bloc Axe
Research areas
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Titre Axe de recherche
Wars and Conflicts
The geography and modalities of wars and armed conflicts evolve according to the international system. If irregular wars and asymmetric conflicts persist, high-intensity wars are increasing while crises take new forms under the effect of hybrid threats.
Titre Axe de recherche
International Security and Defense Policy
The analysis of international security issues involves studying the security and defense policies implemented by States in light of the dynamics of cooperation or competition. It must also integrate the role of international organizations and non-state actors.
Titre Axe de recherche
Armament and Defense Technology
Contemporary armies are increasingly defined by their ability to innovate and integrate cutting-edge technologies such as cyberweapons, space systems, or even drones and artificial intelligence, which pose new operational and ethical challenges for combatants.
Titre Axe de recherche
Military Strategies and Armed Forces
As military competition increases, armies transform and adapt their strategies. Doctrine, organization, equipment and training are key axes for understanding the evolution of land, air and naval forces.
Publications
Guerre de l'information : le web russe dans le conflit en Ukraine
Since the beginning of the crisis in Ukraine, Russia has been waging an information war.
Maîtriser la puissance de feu. Un défi pour les forces terrestres
Over the last few decades, in order to limit the risk of collateral damage, tailoring the effects of firepower has become a main concern for Western armed forces.
La cyberguerre des gangs aura-t-elle lieu ?
Gangs have relied on cyberspace to evolve. New information technologies have allowed them to speed up and globalize their operations.
L'opération Serval à l'épreuve du doute : vrais succès, fausses leçons
The deployment of French forces to Mali in January 2013 with the objective to counter the offensive of jihadist groups from Northern Mali, demonstrated the French armed forces’ ability to deploy on a very short notice and to conduct a long-distance expeditionary operation by themselves in spite of their limited strategic capabilities.
European Defense Planning and the Ukraine Crisis: Two Contrasting Views
As the Ukrainian crisis continues, it is now clear that Europe is facing a new strategic environment and needs to adapt.
Web social et djihadisme : du diagnostic aux remèdes
From Al Qaeda to Islamic state, the international jihadist movement understands how to adapt to the web’s evolution, which it is using as an operating platform.
Ukraine: a Test for Russian Military Reforms
In the recent years Russia has made a significant effort in favor of modernizing its armed forces which allowed it to execute the swift annexation of Crimea in March 2014.
European Defense Revisited / The United Kingdom and the EU: in or out?
Conventionalizing Deterrence? U.S. Prompt Strike Programs and Their Limits
About a decade ago, the U.S. started to examine options to develop and acquire Conventional Prompt Global Strike capabilities. This move fits in an effort to conventionalize deterrence, an effort initiated decades before and undertaken for profound and diverse motives. Although it has been renewed under the Obama administration, which aims to reduce the U.S. reliance on nuclear weapons, this ambition has resulted in very little concrete progress.
In Defense of Deterrence: the Relevance, Morality and Cost-Effectiveness of Nuclear Weapons
Since 1945, nuclear deterrence has frequently been the target of continuous criticism on strategic, legal and moral grounds. In the past five years, however, the renewed debate on nuclear disarmament has been accompanied by an increase in such criticism.
The Team
Our research fellows: Security Studies Center
Support independent French research
Ifri, a foundation recognized as being of public utility, relies largely on private donors – companies and individuals – to guarantee its sustainability and intellectual independence. Through their funding, donors help maintain the Institute's position among the world's leading think tanks. By benefiting from an internationally recognized network and expertise, donors refine their understanding of geopolitical risk and its consequences on global politics and the economy. In 2024, Ifri will support more than 70 French and foreign companies and organizations.