Ocean under tension: the anatomy of maritime violence

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.

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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. The meeting will be followed by a convivial moment.

Sylvain Domergue is a graduate of the Ecole Normale Supérieure and holds a doctorate in Geography. Author of a thesis in 2022 on the regional construction of maritime security, he is continuing his work on the security governance of maritime spaces. A professor at Sciences Po Bordeaux, he is also a senior crisis analyst with the French Navy and the Armed Forces General Staff in Paris, and author of Géopolitique des espaces maritimes, published by Armand Colin in 2025. 

Louis Borer is a maritime security expert with six years' experience at the French Ministry of Armed Forces, focusing on GEOINT, arms trafficking, and counter-terrorism at sea. A French Navy reserve officer, he is also a PhD candidate in maritime geopolitics. He holds a Master's degree from Sorbonne-Paris1/ENS, where he researched piracy and drug trafficking at sea. He is currently a senior analyst at RiskIntelligence, working on counter-terrorism at sea.