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

The world today is safer than ever before, according to statistics, and yet the feeling of insecurity has increased steadily in Europe - why? In the past decade the European security environment has experienced several significant changes. We have left behind the post-Cold War world order, but a new order is still to emerge. The technological revolution penetrates all areas of life, affecting also the thinking about security, conflict and war; the media landscape has changed; the interconnectedness and complexity of networks are of very different nature than ever before in human history; and new domains like space and cyber have emerged. This has contributed to a feeling of insecurity since the effects of the changes are not clear and the related security challenges are often ‘invisible’. In the midst of all this, the concept of hybrid threats has become a political normality appearing in the EU’s, NATO’s and their member states’ documents, joint declarations and strategies. The course will discuss the changes in the security environment, clarify the mechanisms behind hybrid threats (in areas such as cybersecurity, critical infrastructure, disinformation, radicalization, violent extremism and terrorism) and how the EU is responding to them. It will also look into the future to assess the security challenges the EU will face during the next decade.

Professor: Hanna Ilona SMITH

ECTS Card 2020-2021