Courses Semester 1 

(4 teachings + 1 PSL Week)

Why deterrence? Introduction to contemporary nuclear and strategic issues 

The aim of this seminar will be to study a series of strategic issues that are key to a proper understanding of contemporary international security and defense issues, setting out the conceptual, political and legal frameworks for understanding major strategic balances (nuclear deterrence, proliferation of weapons of mass destruction, arms control and disarmament, legal and ethical debates, economic issues, etc.), and placing them in the context of major current crises and unstable zones: Ukraine, Iran, North Korea, Asia, etc. 

Paul Zajac (CIENS / CEA) 

Semester 1, 6 ECTS (12 sessions of 2h) 

Thursday 18h-20h Salle des Actes, first session on October 1st, 15/10 et 05/11, Evariste Galois, 10/12 : Dussane

History of Nuclear Deterrence

How did the initial discoveries in the field of atomic energy materialize decades later in weapons of previously unknown power? How did we go from a “conventional superweapon” to a ‘political’ weapon, whose aim is to prevent a potential state aggressor from carrying out an act, to “dissuade” him? What have been the challenges posed by the spread of nuclear weapons around the world, and by the non-proliferation regime? What about the reality of nuclear disarmament? Can we draw up a typology of “nuclear crises”?

These are just some of the questions that will be addressed in this course, which aims to put the history of nuclear deterrence in international relations into perspective, from its origins to the present day. This will involve dating and defining the concept of “deterrence”, and studying its contribution to defense and security policies over more than seven decades. The approach will be both thematic and chronological, ranging from the 1930s to the Cold War, then to the post-Cold War period up to the current conflict in Ukraine. Particular attention will be paid to the history of France’s nuclear defense policy, and to the interactions between strategic debate and domestic politics.

Frédéric Gloriant (CIENS Director/ IHMC) and Dominique Mongin (PhD in histoire, CIENS associated expert) 

Semester 1, 6 ECTS (12 sessions of 2h)

Tuesday 4-6pm Salle Conférence au 46 rue d’Ulm

Theories and political sociology of international relations

This course aims to provide conceptual and methodological tools for studying global and international phenomena. How can theories of international relations be used to study transnational objects? How can we integrate an international perspective into political sociology? Is it necessary to invent new theoretical frameworks to understand phenomena embedded in globalization, or should we simply adapt the tools of political sociology to phenomena whose scale is changing, but not their nature?

Pierre-Louis Six (CIENS research associate) 

Semester 1, 6 ECTS (12 sessions of 2h)

Tuesday 10.30-12.30 in room Paul Langevin, 29 rue d’Ulm.

Cyber conflict: strategic issues and geopolitical realities (introduction and in-depth analysis)

The first part of this seminar, comprising six introductory courses, will enable students to discover the cyber domain and its major strategic and geopolitical issues. The second part of the seminar, comprising six in-depth courses, will enable them to enrich their understanding of this field through in-depth areal case studies.

We will first explore the new and persistent dynamics of cyber conflictuality, and discuss international efforts to regulate it. At the end of these introductory courses, students will be able to understand and analyze the geopolitical dynamics of the cyber field, the ways in which different types of actors (state, non-state, public, private, cybercriminals, etc.) apply and carry out cyber operations, and to analyze the evolution of cyber conflictuality in the light of the international regulatory mechanisms at work.

In-depth courses on cyber conflictuality will enable students to understand the major strategic concepts and geopolitical representations that govern the implementation of cyber operations by the main states active in this field, with a focus on the United States, Russia and China. We will also look at the major issues raised by the principle of “digital sovereignty” put forward by various states since the end of the 2010s, and propose an analysis of these issues.

In-depth courses on cyber conflictuality will enable students to learn about and understand the major strategic concepts and geopolitical representations behind the implementation of cyber operations by the main states active in this field, with a focus on the USA, Russia and China. We will also look at the major issues raised by the principle of “digital sovereignty” put forward by various states since the end of the 2010s, and offer a multiscalar analysis of the conflicts and power issues surrounding the mastery of semiconductors.

Marie-Gabrielle Bertran (post-doc specializing in cyber at CIENS) 

Semester 1, 6 ECTS (12 sessions of 2h), with the possibility of validating in the “initiation” format (3 ECTS, for the first 6 sessions of 2h)

Tuesday 18h-20h in Noether room in Rataud building, 45 rue d’Ulm (except 29 September in room W)

PSL-Week coordinated by the entire CIENS team

Semester 1, during the week off (November 24-28, 2025)

2 ECTS (possibility of obtaining an additional ECTS, by completing an additional validation task). 

Courses Semester 2

→ RESEARCH SEMINARS

Europe, France and Nuclear Deterrence

The purpose of this research seminar is to explore in depth the mechanisms and issues raised by nuclear defense in France and Europe. The political and strategic relationships and conflicts surrounding nuclear power will be examined on three levels: alliances on the continent (from the origins of NATO’s security architecture to European integration), France’s institutional landscape, and French defense apparatus as a subject of dedicated study. Particular attention will be paid to the processes of transformation involved in the establishment of a national defense policy based on nuclear deterrence during the Cold War.

Drawing on the analysis of cross-referenced primary printed sources and strategic literature on the subject, the seminar will guide students through to the most current debates on France’s strategic posture.

Louise Matz (post-doc strategic and nuclear issues)

3 ECTS, 6 sessions of 2 hours

Tuesday 4-6 p.m. in room U209 at 29 rue d’Ulm

→ “METHODOLOGY AND CONCEPTS” MODULES 

What methods should be used to study strategic issues? Archives, interviews, OSINT.

 Led by the CIENS team, this transdisciplinary methodology seminar will offer a practical introduction to three major methods for studying strategic issues (archives; semi-structured interviews; open source intelligence or OSINT), and a comparative analysis of the advantages and disadvantages of each of these methods borrowed from history and the human and social sciences.

Throughout the seminar, we’ll also be looking at the specific nature of the subject of strategic studies, and the implications of this for our methods. How do we deal with the problem of access to archives dealing with strategic issues? How can we prepare for a semi-directive interview with a diplomat or general? What pitfalls need to be avoided when using OSINT-type data? Each course, supported by specific examples, will introduce students to research methods used in strategic studies.

This seminar, accessible without pre-requisites, is particularly recommended for students interested in the “International Relations and Contemporary Strategic Issues” minor offered by CIENS.

CIENS team

3 ECTS, 6 sessions of 2h

Thursday 10:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m. in the U209 room, at 29 rue d’Ulm

What is strategy? Theories, concepts and practices

The aim of this seminar is to provide students with a basis for understanding and analyzing strategy, defined by André Beaufre as “the art of the dialectic of wills employing force to resolve their conflict”. Since strategy consists in bringing together political goals of varying nature and scope, and military and non-military means that evolve over time, this course will take into account the diversity of strategies, as well as what unites them – uncertainty, complexity, or the clash of wills. Rather than recounting the history of strategic thinking or reflecting on the nature of warfare, the course will constantly move back and forth between the study of strategic theories and concepts, with particular emphasis on the great names, and their implementation in history up to the present day, through case studies. 

Paul Zajac (associate expert at CIENS / director of strategic analysis CEA-DAM)

3 ECTS, 6 sessions of 2 h

Monday 4-6 pm in Assia Djebar room at 29 rue d’Ulm

→ REGIONAL APPROACHES

Strategic and nuclear issues in the Middle East 

This course introduces students to the main nuclear and strategic issues in the Middle East in two stages. During the Cold War, the region was the scene of rivalries between the two superpowers and their respective alliances. Israel developed a secret nuclear program with the help of France, and went on to become one of the United States’ main allies in the region, while the Arab states armed themselves with Soviet assistance. This period paved the way for a strategic imbalance whose repercussions have continued unabated since the end of the Cold War.

The emergence of the Iranian nuclear crisis, from 2002 onwards, gave rise to heightened international concerns and regional tensions, in parallel with an intensification of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. We will examine the impact of these dynamics on regional security, strategic alliances and the balance of power in the Middle East today. 

Ève Benhamou (CIENS post-doc)

3 ECTS, 6 sessions of 2h.

Wednesday 4pm-6pm in salle Paul Langevin, 29 rue d’Ulm

Russia’s security and defense policy, a key challenge for European security 

Against the backdrop of the sharp rise in strategic and military confrontation in Europe, triggered by Russia’s large-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022, this course aims to provide a detailed understanding of the nature and challenges of Russia’s security and defense policy, taking into account its evolution since the end of the Cold War. 

Rooted in current events, the course begins with an analysis of the worldview, strategic culture and threat assessment that underpin Russia’s defense policy. Secondly, the course presents the terms of this policy and the key concepts that guide it, highlighting the singular role of nuclear deterrence. The course also provides an overview of the tools of Russian security and defense policy (decision-making architecture, military and nuclear capabilities, armaments industry, defense diplomacy).

Isabelle Facon (Deputy Director FRS)

3 ECTS, 6 sessions of 2h (first session: Thursday February 19, 2026).

Thursday 14h-16h in room U209 at 29 rue d’Ulm

→ THEMATIC MODULES 

Space and strategic competitions

The aim of this course is to introduce students to the strategic stakes of space. The space race, which originated in the Cold War, is now unfolding in a multipolar world, involving a growing number of state actors, as well as private players, as witnessed by the war in Ukraine. Russia’s anti-satellite launch in November 2021 and North Korea’s successful launch of a spy satellite in November 2023 were both signs of the increased militarization of space, which can no longer be seen solely as a reflection of terrestrial conflicts. At the beginning of 2025, President Trump announced a project for missile defense of the American territory, based mainly in space (Golden Dome), which will profoundly alter the terms of strategic and technological competition in this environment if it is effectively implemented. The aim of this course is to understand the specific mechanisms and stakes of these renewed political, military and economic competitions, their origins, the management of escalation risks and the role of Europe in this context.

Lise Dubois (PhD student at Lyon 3) and Guillaume Schlumberger (Ministry of Armed Forces)

3 ECTS, 6 sessions of 2h

Thursday 18h-20h in room Ferdinand Berthier at 29 rue d’Ulm

Nuclear proliferation and non-proliferation – history, mechanisms and contemporary issues

The explosion of the Trinity device in the New Mexico desert in July 1945 ushered in the atomic age. As early as August 1945, the US government took steps to prevent the disclosure of any information relating to the manufacture of atomic weapons. Efforts to prevent the proliferation of nuclear weapons were thus concomitant with their emergence.

Nuclear proliferation is the mechanism by which an entity acquires the means necessary to carry out a nuclear weapons program – scientific and technical knowledge, infrastructure or political will – and implements them. The fight against nuclear proliferation covers all measures taken, collectively or unilaterally, to prevent access to nuclear weapons.

From case studies to an understanding of nuclear proliferation control mechanisms, this course will examine the various ways in which certain states have gained access to these weapons, and conversely, how controls (particularly those of the IAEA) have limited their spread.

In a context of weakening international treaties and increased risk of nuclear proliferation, this course will provide the historical, legal and technical elements needed to analyze contemporary proliferation crises and reflect on the future of the nuclear non-proliferation regime.

Julien Elbez (CEA/DAM proliferation expert), Frédéric Gloriant (CIENS/IHMC director), 3 ECTS, 6 sessions of 2h

Tuesday 2-4 pm in room Assia Djebar at 29 rue d’Ulm

PSL-Week “Major contemporary nuclear and strategic issues

Open to all PSL students, whatever their course of study, the CIENS PSL-Week offers a 5-day, 30-hour multidisciplinary introduction to contemporary nuclear and strategic issues, for a non-specialist audience, with a specific focus each year on a current crisis or conflict. The courses are taught by both academics (mainly CIENS research professors) and practitioners of strategic issues, with the final day featuring a serious game simulating a crisis with a nuclear dimension.