Internet / Russie – Marie Gabrielle Bertran
May 6, 2026: The repeated internet outages in major Russian cities since March are evidence of the authorities’ increasingly tight grip on the internet. And they are fueling a simmering anger among the population. Marie-Gabrielle Bertran was interviewed by journalist Eva Moysan of Alternatives Economiques.
Social media/AI/Cognitive Warfare – Elsa Novelli
May 6, 2026: The amount of time many of us spend on social media affects the image we have of ourselves and the standards we set for ourselves, and pushes us toward a form of individualism. In the age of artificial intelligence, this screen time also becomes a potential source of disruption and confusion. Elsa Novelli is a postdoctoral researcher at CIENS and holds a Ph.D. in philosophy. She describes her work, which focuses on understanding what social media does to us and how it can be used against us, particularly in conjunction with AI.
Russia/Ukraine – Johanna Möhring
April 24, 2026: Since the start of the war in Ukraine, according to independent Russian media and open-source data, at least 300,000 soldiers from Moscow’s army have died, and more than a million have been wounded. Facing a shortage of manpower to wage its war against Ukraine, Russia is stepping up its efforts to recruit new soldiers into its army. Johanna Möhring, a research associate at CIENS, answers questions from 20 Minutes.
Russia/Ukraine – Pierre-Louis Six
April 8, 2026: How does the concept of civilization shape contemporary conflicts? INALCO’s DECRYPT program examines the use of the concept of “civilization” and the battle of narratives. Speaking with Guillaume Erner is Pierre-Louis Six, a research associate at CIENS. He explains how Russian and Ukrainian political scientists are locked in a battle over the concept of civilization.
Iran/Nuclear Defense – Maïlys Mangin
March 5, 2026: Donald Trump justified the recent attacks on Iran by citing the need to destroy the country’s nuclear capabilities, citing the threat of Iran acquiring a nuclear weapon. But what was the actual status of Iran’s nuclear program? How have negotiations between the United States and Iran evolved over time, and what role have international organizations played in this regard? Maïlys Mangin, a research associate at CIENS, provides answers on France Culture.
Russia/Cyber – Marie-Gabrielle Bertran
26/02/2026 : While the war between Russia and Ukraine has been raging for four years, another battle is being fought far from the front lines. Quieter but just as strategic, the information war is crucial for both sides. Analysis by Marie-Gabrielle Bertran, postdoctoral researcher at CIENS.
Nuclear Program / Iran – Maïlys Mangin
02/01/2026: On Myriam Encaoua’s France TV program “Tout est politique” (Everything is Political), Maîlys Mangin, associate researcher at CIENS, analyzes what remains of Iran’s nuclear program seven months after the Israeli-American strikes.
Nuclear Defense / Germany – Yannick Pincé
January 13, 2026: A few days ago, a Bundeswehr general stated on social media that Germany “can no longer rely on the United States and its nuclear umbrella” and that it “needs its own nuclear weapons.” .“ Yannick Pincé, CIENS associate researcher, explained to 20 Minutes that ”this is not the first time Germany has raised the possibility of acquiring nuclear weapons“ and that it ”has the means to acquire the bomb, even if it would take a few years to do so.”
Hacking / Russia – Marie-Gabrielle Bertran
December 30, 2025: On Christmas Eve, La Poste was the target of an unprecedented cyberattack, paralyzing its operations in the middle of the holiday season. Who is behind these attacks? What role does the Russian government play in these operations? What resources can France mobilize to respond?
Nuclear Defense / Grand Continent – Frédéric Gloriant
December 16, 2025: Are we entering a new nuclear age? What might the parameters be? Has nuclear deterrence been reinforced by the geopolitical upheavals of recent years? What are the new conditions for its credibility? Frédéric Gloriant was a guest on Le Mardi du Grand Continent to discuss these issues alongside Louis Gautier (Panthéon Sorbonne), Héloïse Fayet (IFRI), and Bruno Tertrais (FRS).
Nuclear Defense / Iran – Maïlys Mangin
September 20, 2025: The Iranian nuclear issue enters a decisive week. If no new agreement is reached by September 28, the sanctions lifted under the 2015 agreement will be reinstated. The E3 group (France, Germany, United Kingdom) and Iran are accusing each other of being responsible for the impasse. To discuss this, we are joined by Maïlys Mangin, lecturer in political science at the University of Toulouse-Capitole and associate researcher at the Interdisciplinary Center on Strategic Issues at the ENS.
History of the Atomic Bomb – Frédéric Gloriant
In a five-part series for France Culture by Stéphane Bonnefoi, Frédéric Gloriant, director of the Centre interdisciplinaire sur les enjeux stratégiques, looks back at the history of the atomic bomb. He traces the genesis of the nuclear weapon and analyzes its evolving role in the development of American and Soviet strategies during the Cold War.
Nuclear threat – Mailys Mangin
Maïlys Mangin, associate researcher at CIENS and specialist in the IAEA and Iran’s nuclear program, analyzes the consequences of the Israeli and American bombings on Iran’s nuclear program in the Retex program devoted to military issues on Médiapart. She also sheds light on the degree of nuclear risk in the context of the conflict in Ukraine, and on the strategy adopted by Vladimir Putin.
Israël / Iran – Mailys Mangin
Israel justifies its bombing of Iran by claiming that the country was on the verge of crossing “the point of no return” in the process of acquiring the atomic bomb. What is this point of no return? What was known about the progress of Teheran’s nuclear work before the strikes began? Israeli bombing may delay but probably not destroy the Iranian program, according to CIENS researcher Maïlys Mangin Interview read here
Israël / Iran – Mailys Mangin
What threat does Iran’s nuclear program represent?
Maïlys Mangin, CIENS associate researcher, answered questions from RTS – Radio Télévision Suisse – on Tuesday June 17.
AI and information warfare – Maïlys Mangin
Frédéric Gloriant, Director of CIENS and member of the Institut d’histoire moderne et contemporaine (IHMC) at ENS-PSL, analyses recent developments on the ENS website. He discusses nuclear deterrence and the need for Europe to build strategic autonomy.
Nuclear deterrence – Frédéric Gloriant
AI is a tool for exploiting human cognitive biases, mixing the true with the false, tells us Maïlys Mangin, associate researcher at CIENS and specialist in the use of AI in informational warfare. Read more in the ENS newsletter.
RN / French Army / Nuclear – Yannick Pincé
In the event of cohabitation with the RN, who would have control of the French army? Yannick Pincé answers questions from Justine Brabant and Fabien Escalona in Médiapart’s Retex programme. Watch it here.
Nuclear weapons and the French Constitution – Yannick Pincé
Yannick Pincé, a research associate at CIENS, has published an article co-authored with Benoît Grémare in the online magazine The Conversation analysing the consequences of enshrining nuclear weapons in the French Constitution. Read it here.
European defence and nuclear weapons – Yannick Pincé
Yannick Pincé, associate researcher at CIENS, answered Elisabeth Quin’s questions about President Emmanuel Macron’s views on European defence and nuclear weapons on the 28 Minutes programme on Tuesday 30 April. Watch the programme in full.
European defence and nuclear weapons – Yannick Pincé
France: the end of a chemically pure nuclear deterrent?
Yannick Pincé was interviewed on RFI for Franck Alexandre’s daily column, Lignes de Défense. Link to the column.
Qu’est-ce que le CIENS ? – Frédéric Gloriant
In this interview, Frédéric Gloriant, Director of CIENS, talks about the role and objectives of this unique centre in France. Link to the article here.