CONFLICTS: AN INTERDISCIPLINARY ANALYSIS LED BY HUGO MICHERON IN SCIENCES PO’S JOURNAL COMPRENDRE SON TEMPS

Paris, 18 June 2025 – The third issue of Comprendre son temps, the journal published by Sciences Po, offers an in-depth analysis of contemporary conflicts amidst heightened geopolitical tensions.

Political scientist Hugo Micheron, who specialises in the Middle East and jihadism, coordinated the contributions of ten researchers who aimed to explore the new forms of conflict that have recently emerged: the militarisation of digital space, the weaponisation of information, the reconfiguration of alliances and power dynamics, the hybridisation of threats, and the return of high-intensity warfare — from Ukraine to Gaza. These contributions examine the systemic transformations redefining the attributes of power and critically assess Europe’s evolving role in the global order.

Contributors to this issue include Thierry Balzacq, Professor and researcher at the Centre for International Studies (CERI); Christophe Jaffrelot, CNRS Research Director at CERI; and Frédéric Ramel, Professor and researcher at CERI. Regular contributors to Sciences Po have also participated, such as writer and lecturer Giuliano Da Empoli; Asma Mhalla, political scientist and lecturer; and author Karine Tuil.

Hugo Micheron, scientific director of the issue : “The current period is marked by profound geopolitical transformations that challenge Europe’s place and role on the world stage, as well as its ability to assert itself as a leading geopolitical actor. It is essential for a group of influential EU countries to align their diplomatic orientations in order to rethink conflict in all its strategic dimensions. This is the collective analysis put forward by Sciences Po researchers in this issue."

Luis Vassy, Director of Sciences Po :  "In an era where conflict is no longer an exception but a structural reality, it is vital to place this notion at the heart of both our scientific inquiry and educational mission."

About Comprendre son temps

Comprendre son temps is Sciences Po’s journal in the humanities and social sciences, offering insights into the major ruptures shaping today’s world and supporting both public and private decision-making. Published biannually, it seeks to make the institution’s high-quality academic research accessible to the widest possible audience by addressing a major social and political issue.

About Hugo Micheron

Hugo Micheron is a political scientist, fluent in Arabic and specialising in the Middle East and jihadism. He is a Senior Fellow at the Program on Extremism at George Washington University and teaches at Sciences Po, where he leads the seminar Artificial Intelligence, Democracy, and the Information Environment. He is the author of La Colère et l’Oubli. Les démocraties face au jihadisme européen (Gallimard, 2023), awarded both the Femina Essay Prize and the Brienne Prize for Geopolitical Literature in 2023.

À propos de Sciences Po

Sciences Po, fondée en 1872, est une institution de recherche de rang mondial. Caractérisée par son excellence académique et son ouverture sociale, elle forme 15 000 étudiants chaque année dont 50% d’internationaux. 3 500 professionnels suivent également une formation continue.

Son projet pédagogique s’illustre par une démarche pluridisciplinaire ancrée dans les sciences humaines et sociales, une forte ouverture internationale et une capacité à allier savoirs fondamentaux et expertise professionnelle grâce à ses 280 enseignants-chercheurs et 4 300 chargés d’enseignement.

Forte de onze centres de recherche, Sciences Po assume une responsabilité sociale en produisant et diffusant des connaissances sur les grands enjeux contemporains, au premier rang desquels les transformations environnementales et numériques, les évolutions des régimes politiques et des relations internationales.