John Sawers, former Chief of the Secret Intelligence Service (MI6), shares his insights on how security threats have evolved with the rise of digital technologies and social media. In this interview, he offers a compelling exploration of the shift from traditional methods to contemporary security challenges. Sawers examines how intelligence approaches have adapted to address new threats, including the influence of social media on democratic processes and the evolving global geopolitical landscape. The discussion provides An insightful analysis of the current dynamics in intelligence work and highlights the critical issues facing intelligence services in an increasingly interconnected and digital world.
RELATED CONTENT
-
September 25, 2026Dans cet épisode d’Africafé, Amadou Diop analyse les défis de sécurité maritime auxquels font face les pays de l’Afrique atlantique, de la piraterie aux trafics transfrontaliers. Il souligne la nécessité de mutualiser les moyens et de partager l’information entre États. L’échange aborde... -
September 25, 2026In this episode, Senior Fellow Ian Lesser examines the United States’ longstanding ties with the Mediterranean as the country marks its 250th anniversary. He discusses how a possible shif ... -
September 15, 2026The Africa Center, in partnership with the Policy Center for the New South, hosts a conversation on the current situation in the Sahel and opportunities for US reengagement. ...
-
September 11, 2026This episode of Africafé features H.E. Abdisaid Moussa Ali, former Somali Foreign Minister, discussing Somalia's federal system tensions, the decline of Western support for peacekeeping missions, the Ethiopia-Somaliland MOU dispute over Red Sea access, and the growing role of Turkey and...
-
August 25, 2026The next Secretary-General should begin with an act of institutional rebellion: refuse to become the Secretary-General ofeverything. Over three decades the office's political and administrative reach has spread across sustainable development, climate, health, migration, digital governance, financing, gender, food systems, and a still-growing list of global priorities. These issues are not unimportant; the trouble is that institutional ambition has simply outrun institutional capabil ... -
Securing North Africa's Future: Geopolitical Dynamics, Regional Stability, and Strategic CooperationAugust 21, 2026In this episode, Lana Bleik examines how North Africa has become a contested geopolitical hub where external powers (US, China, Russia, Turkey, Gulf states) compete through infrastructure ...
-
August 13, 2026Recent crises in the Middle East, particularly attacks targeting commercial vessels in the Red Sea and tensions surrounding the Strait of Hormuz, have highlighted the vulnerability of the main strategic corridors of global trade. Rather than fundamentally disrupting the organization of trade flows, these crises are accelerating an ongoing transformation driven by the search for more resilient connectivity chains, the diversification of trade routes, and the development of logistics ... -
August 13, 2026Les crises récentes au Moyen-Orient, notamment les attaques ciblant les navires commerciaux en mer Rouge et les tensions autour du détroit d'Ormuz, ont mis en évidence la vulnérabilité des principaux corridors stratégiques du commerce mondial. Plus qu'un bouleversement de l'organisation des échanges, elles accélèrent une transformation déjà engagée, fondée sur la recherche de chaînes de connectivité plus résilientes, la diversification des itinéraires commerciaux et le développement ... -
August 13, 2026Cuando estalla una crisis, esta da lugar a la activación de reflejos para su gestión y la limitación de sus efectos. Comienzan, entonces, los análisis y las suposiciones sobre las disfunciones, los incumplimientos y las fallas que la ocasionaron. En algunos casos, la teoría de la conspiración se inmiscuye y las hipótesis buscan a los autores que provocaron la crisis, sus designios y sus objetivos. Sin embargo, la teoría de la gestión de crisis nos enseña que una crisis surge según ... -
August 13, 2026The renewed instability in the Middle East has exposed Africa's continued vulnerability to external energy shocks. Shipping disruptions through the Strait of Hormuz, the maritime chokepoint through which roughly one-fifth of global oil and LNG supplies transit, have once again demonstrated that African fuel security remains highly dependent on geopolitical developments beyond the continent. While many African economies have traditionally relied on refined petroleum imports from Gulf ...
