Theories and political sociology of international relations

Overview The return of war to Europe in the wake of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has paradoxically put international news back at the center of everyday life in European societies, while at the same time privileging analyses that are more often than not geopolitical and military concerning the origin and development of the conflict. However, […]

Why deterrence? Introduction to contemporary nuclear and strategic issues

The aim of this seminar will be to study a series of strategic questions that are key to a proper understanding of contemporary international security and defence issues, by setting out the conceptual, political and legal frameworks for understanding the major strategic balances (nuclear deterrence, proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, arms control and disarmament, […]

History of Nuclear Deterrence

How could the initial discoveries in the field of atomic energy be translated decades later into weapons of previously unknown power? How did we go from a ‘conventional superweapon’ to a ‘political’ weapon, the aim of which is to inhibit a potential state aggressor from taking action, to ‘dissuade’ him? What challenges have been posed […]