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SMITH H. - Invisible Security Challenges : Hybrid Threats and the EU (25h)

24 February 2022 brought war yet again into Europe. Ukraine is the first case where hybrid threat activity has gone through all three phases: priming, destabilization, and coercion, before the activity moved away from the landscape of hybrid threats into a conventional war. The start of the war showed clearly how important it is for the EU and its member states to build resilience and responses against hybrid threats. Today the concept of hybrid threats is a political normality appearing in the discourses and documents of the EU, of NATO and of their member states.

This optional course addresses questions of how our security environment has changed not only due to the war in Ukraine but also because the technological revolution penetrates all areas of life, affecting the thinking about security, conflict and war. Disinformation is part of the information landscape and opinion builders on social media platforms. The interconnectedness and complexity of networks are of a very different nature than ever before in human history, yet at the same time, we are heading towards new dividing lines. New domains like space and cyber have emerged while domains like culture and diplomacy have become more important battlefields in international politics. This has contributed to a feeling of insecurity since the effects of the changes are not clear, the battles are ambiguous, and the threat seems to be often ‘invisible’.

The course will discuss the changes in the EU’s security environment, shed light on the conceptual ‘jungle’ relating to hybrid threats, clarify the mechanisms behind hybrid threats (in areas such as cyber; law; culture; diplomacy; critical infrastructure; information; intelligence, etc.) and how the EU is responding to them. In addition, it will also look into the future to assess the security challenges the EU will face during the next decade.

Professor: Hanna Ilona SMITH

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