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
-
February 27, 2026Technological and industrial capabilities have become core instruments of state power, reshaping military strategies, economic competition, and global influence. The rapid rise of AI, cyber warfare, autonomous systems, and advanced manufacturing is redefining how states project power an...
-
Ahmed Ouhnini & Sayantan HaldarFebruary 18, 2026This episode of the Policy Center for the New South podcast examines maritime security in the Indo-Pacific, with a focus on the growing strategic importance of the Indian Ocean. The discu ...
-
Helmut Sorge & Olivier TramondFebruary 13, 2026Le général Olivier Tramond analyse la réduction de la présence militaire française en Afrique comme un changement stratégique profond plutôt qu’un renoncement. Au-delà des coups d’État et ...
-
Stability and Realignment in the Sahel: What Role for Global and Middle Powers and Atlantic Africa ?February 12, 2026The Sahel faces insurgencies, political instability, climate shocks, and humanitarian crises. How are global powers, middle powers, and Atlantic African nations shaping security, governance, and development in the region? Join us as we explore challenges, opportunities, and the path for...
-
AuthorsFebruary 12, 2026Divergent regulatory regimes for data, driven by different motivations, ranging from privacy protection in the European Union to information control in China, could eventually produce distinctively different, and possibly contradictory, bodies of data. Artificial-intelligence models trained on those datasets could produce differing and possibly even conflicting outputs. To the extent that AI outputs start to shape human perception and to influence decisions, in governments and ...
-
AuthorsFebruary 9, 2026L’arrestation du président vénézuélien Nicolàs Maduro a suscité la sidération internationale en interrogeant sur le respect du droit international ; puis, fort logiquement, cette opération a conduit à maintes analyses tant sur les arguments politiques, sécuritaires et géostratégiques avancés par Washington que sur les ambitions sous-jacentes ayant présidé à cette décision sans réel précédent dans l’histoire récente. Outre la lutte contre le narcotrafic, c’est bien évidemment la ...
-
February 5, 2026Dans cet épisode d’Africafé, retour sur l’aggravation du conflit soudanais après la chute d’Al-Fasher aux mains des Forces de soutien rapide. Notre Senior Fellow Abdelhak Bassou décrypte les racines profondes de la guerre, entre rivalités de pouvoir, héritages historiques et fractures g...
-
AuthorsFebruary 3, 2026From the use of tariffs as a foreign policy instrument, to the weaponization of critical resources, and from targeted sanctions to attacks on critical infrastructure, economic security is at the forefront of international debates. The aggressive use of economic instruments for strategic purposes has become an explicit feature of international affairs, in a way not seen since the interwar period[1]. Beyond the weaponization of resources of all kinds, an increasing ‘monetization’ is u ...
-
Ahmed Ouhnini & Stéphane FolcherJanuary 30, 2026Ce podcast analyse le rôle des réserves de sécurité comme pilier stratégique de la résilience de la sécurité intérieure dans un contexte marqué par des menaces hybrides et des crises prol ...
-
January 30, 2026En 2019, Donald Trump a proposé d’acheter le Groenland, déclenchant un refus catégorique du Danemark et une tension diplomatique transatlantique. Cette initiative reflétait l’intérêt stratégique et économique des États-Unis pour l’Arctique et ses ressources. L’épisode a mis en lumière l...

