Back

Technology, Military Power, and the New Geopolitics of Security

February 27, 2026
Related topics: 
International Relations
Geopolitics
Cyber threats
Security & Defense

Technological 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 and deter adversaries. While technological leadership offers opportunities for innovation and strategic advantage, it also generates new risks related to escalation, dependency, and asymmetric vulnerabilities. In this evolving geopolitical landscape, the ability to integrate technology, industry, and strategy is increasingly decisive for long-term sovereignty and influence.

Speakers
Akram Zaoui
Chargé de Mission to the Executive President
Akram Zaoui is a Senior International Relations Specialist and Chargé de Mission to the Executive President at the Policy Center for the New South (PCNS). Prior to this, he was Manager of Research Support and the Public Policy Lab at the PCNS. His main area of interest is the geopolitical economy of the Extended Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. From 2018 to 2020, Zaoui was the coordinator of a network of 70+ civil society organizations (CSOs) across France, working with foundations, government, local communities, and the private sector. Zaoui holds a dual degree in corporate and public management from HEC Paris and Sciences Po, as well as a bachelor's degree (licence) in history from Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne. He audited courses in Iranian and Shia Stud ...

RELATED CONTENT

  • Crossing the Nuclear Rubicon
    Authors
    Helmut Sorge
    August 31, 2023
    Kim Ju-ae, supposed daughter of North Korean dictator Kim Jong-un, was introduced by her father for the first time to the world and 26.1 million citizens of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) on November 19, 2022. Her first public appearance was unusual: at the launch of an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) costing up to $10 million (Los Angeles Times, November 4, 2022). Unlike a DPRK spy satellite launched on May 30, 2023, which broke up in midair before reach ...
  • Twenty-Four Hours of Turmoil: The Wagner Uprising and Its Far-Reaching Impact on Russia and Beyond
    Authors
    Helmut Sorge
    August 4, 2023
    Twenty-Four Hours June 23-24, 2023. Over those days, Russia, the sanctioned world power, was not destabilized by the nuclear enemy in Washington, but by one man, who made his wealth serving food to school children and soldiers. A caterer who attempted a revolution. A bald man, who apparently wore wigs during his days off, as the Russian secret police claimed to have discovered when they searched his home in St Petersburg. The photos of the wig-wearing Yevgeny Prigozhin were shown o ...
  • Digest: Navigating the Changing Security Landscape in the Sahel
    Authors
    Imane Lahrich
    June 12, 2023
    The security landscape in the Sahel region has undergone significant changes in recent years. From the emergence of Russia as an actor in the region to the persistent issue of trafficking, and the challenges of political transitions in countries including Chad and Sudan, the Sahel faces complex and interconnected security challenges. This insight summarizes our biannual Strategic Dialogues, focusing on the new security landscape in the Sahel, its regional developments, and its impli ...
  • War in Ukraine: Unleashing Innovation and Unseen Frontiers
    Authors
    Helmut Sorge
    June 8, 2023
    A tragedy of historic proportions The war is gruesome and may not end for months or years. Not ending with the white flag of surrender, but total depletion and exhaustion, men and missiles, tanks, and terror. The battlefield is hell, as it is in all wars. A nightmare and human folly. “We are learning in Ukraine how to fight”, admitted the former President of Lithuania, Dalia Grybauskalte, “and we are learning how to use our NATO equipment. It is a teaching battle”. Yes, this politi ...
  • Les dessous de la présence militaire russe en Afrique
    Abdelhak Bassou & Imane Lahrich
    March 24, 2023
    Dans ce nouvel épisode, Imane Lahrich accueille Abdelhak Bassou pour discuter des dessous de la présence militaire russe en Afrique. D’un côté, la Russie ambitionne de contrer les ambitio ...
  • Download PDF
    Les relations militaires entre la Russie et l’Afrique, avant et après la guerre en Ukraine
    Authors
    Abdelhak Bassou
    March 6, 2023
    En partenariat avec le Policy Center for the New South (PCNS), Africa Center est fier de présenter un rapport conjoint sur l’influence de la Russie en Afrique, une perspective sécuritaire, à l’occasion du premier anniversaire de la guerre en Ukraine. L’Afrique est apparue comme un acteur majeur de ce conflit lorsque le 3 mars 2022 , dix-sept Etats africains se sont abstenus lors du vote de la résolution de l’Assemblée générale des Nations Unies condamnant l’invasion russe en Ukrain ...
  • The position of Spain and Europe Towards the War in Ukraine
    March 4, 2023
    In this video recorded during the Atlantic Dialogues, our Columnist Mr. Helmut Sorge interviews Ms. Ana Palacio, Spain's Former Minister of Foreign Affairs on the position of Spain and Europe towardsthe War in Ukraine, the interview also tackles different questi...
  • The reaction of the NATO amidst the War in Europe
    March 1, 2023
    In this video recorded during the Atlantic Dialogues, our Columnist Mr. Helmut Sorge interviews Mr. Alessandro Minuto-Rizzo, President of the NATO Defense College Foundation in Rome on the NATO’s reactions amidst the War in Ukraine, Mr Minuto answers questions on how countries of the Na...
  • Le Monde en période de crises multiples
    February 25, 2023
    Dans cette interview tournée au cours des Atlantic Dialogues, Monsieur Helmut Sorge interroge le Ministre Hubert Védrine sur ses impressions sur un monde aussi troublé qu’aujourd’hui suite à la guerre Russo-Ukrainienne. Monsieur Védrine nous fait part de son analyse ainsi que son étude ...