Ocean under tension: the anatomy of maritime violence

9 dec | Cycle "Oceans: common heritage, shared challenges"

Tuesday

December

2025

6:30 pm

Vignette de la rencontre n°7 du cycle "Océans : héritage commun, défis partagés"

From piracy to the ecological crisis, plunge into the heart of the many forms of violence that threaten our oceans.

Seas and oceans are places of movement and exchange, but also places of tension, exploitation and conflict. Piracy, illegal trafficking, territorial disputes, exploitation of workers at sea, as well as marine pollution, over-exploitation of resources and destruction of ecosystems: maritime violence takes many forms, at the intersection of geopolitical, economic and ecological issues.

Sylvain Domergue, Professor of Geopolitics at Sciences Po Bordeaux, and Louis Borer, counter-terrorism analyst at RiskIntelligence, will explore the different facets of this violence, whether it directly affects human societies or the marine environment itself. By combining theoretical analysis and field perspectives, they will highlight the dynamics at play and look at ways of tackling these threats to the future of the oceans and those who depend on them. Journalist Élise Vincent will host the meeting.

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At the end of the discussion, you will have the opportunity to put any questions you may have to our guests. A convivial moment will follow the meeting.

https://www.eventbrite.fr/e/ocean-sous-tension-anatomie-des-violences-maritimes… Register

About the Speakers

Louis Borer holds a master's degree from Sorbonne-Paris1/ENS, is a senior analyst in maritime geopolitics and a reserve captain in the French Navy. With three years' experience at the Asia Centre think tank and more than six years at the Ministry of the Armed Forces working on GEOINT, arms trafficking at sea and maritime counter-terrorism, he has been a senior analyst at the Danish research firm RiskIntelligence for the past three years. He works primarily on issues related to piracy and maritime terrorism, drug trafficking at sea, and the maritime extension of conflicts.

Sylvain Domergue is a graduate of the École Normale Supérieure and holds a PhD in Geography. Author of a thesis in 2022 on the regional construction of maritime security, he continues his work on the security governance of maritime areas. A professor at Sciences Po Bordeaux, he is also a senior analyst in the crisis unit of the French Navy and the Armed Forces Headquarters in Paris, and author of Géopolitique des espaces maritimes (Geopolitics of Maritime Areas), published by Armand Colin in 2025.