Meet Olivier Schmitt
Olivier Schmitt is a Professor WSR at the Center for War Studies at SDU. In his research he is interested in security policy, military cooperation, arms control, and the changing character of warfare. He also looks at the role of ideas and norms in world politics with a focus on e.g., strategic narratives and propaganda. He has previously worked with Russian security issues and is currently putting his knowledge forward in relation to the war in Ukraine.
Why did you become a researcher?
I think it is the same reason as many colleagues: I wanted to know more about a specific topic! More specifically, I research things that frighten me: war and collective violence.
I realized over time that there was a connection between my research interests and my concerns, and that my drive towards academia was, at least partly unconsciously, shaped by a strong worry about the possibility of war and the destructions that come with it.
In that regard, I believe in the normative implications of research: trying to understand the (social) world in the most rigorous way possible is a prerequisite to hope improving it.
What other career options did you consider?
I almost became a career policy-maker, which I was before turning to academia: I have work experience at the French Ministry of Defence and NATO, and I regularly advise governments and international organizations.
What’s keeping you busy at the moment?
The war in Ukraine! I had worked on security relations with Russia in the past, and the current war is a major sign of the transformation and brutalization of the international system: researchers specializing in strategic and military studies are once again central in understanding international politics, after the short post-Cold War eclipse which could have given the false impression that strategic issues were a thing of the past.
Moreover, the intensity and brutality of the war has triggered an important need for explanation among the general public, and I have spent quite some time in the French media over the past six weeks.
Which burning question would you like to find the answer to?
How are emerging military technologies (artificial intelligence, synthetic biology, automation, hypersonic missiles, etc.) going to change warfare, but also will affect societies at large as has historically been the case? It is a broad question with many sub-questions, but the pace of technological change and its effect on war and societies is, in my view, a major issue.
What’s the greatest thing that has happened in your field?
In sociological terms, I see an emerging generation of highly talented PhD student, which is more diverse (and more numerous) than when I started my own PhD twelve years ago. It is an excellent sign for the field, since there is an important need for fresh and rigorous ideas about war (and how to avoid it).
In what ways would you like others to benefit from your research?
As mentioned above, my research is related to my concerns about war and warfare. I hope that my research can be of use to policy-makers, helping them thinking rigorously about strategic issues, since they ultimately are responsible in a moral and political sense for major decisions affecting the security of citizens.
Which other field(s) of study are you most fascinated with?
I don’t think one can be a good political scientist if they are not interested in history: political science is ultimately about understanding how power shape societies, but the ways power operates are historically contingent. So, I read a lot of history, and I try to learn from their way to approach archives and handle sources.
And on a personal level, I find astrophysics absolutely fascinating, and I tend to read popular physics books about that topic.
What do you have in your office that few others have?
An original edition of the Daily Mirror of the 8th May 1945, the end of World War II in Europe. On the cover page, there is a drawing, by an artist named Zec, of a crippled soldier walking a deserted battlefield. The soldier is shown giving readers a piece of paper named “victory and peace in Europe” and telling them “here you are, don’t lose it again”. The picture is extremely powerful, and to me it is a reminder that sometimes war is necessary and unescapable in order to defend a society’s values and political life, but it always comes at a staggering cost.
Who do you admire the most?
In my field, that would be an American professor who recently passed away: Robert Jervis. He made major intellectual contributions to the field and was an extremely benevolent and generous person.
What do you do when you’re not researching?
I spend time with my wife and our two kids. For fun, I like to read science-fiction novels, and I train in Japanese martial arts. I started training in Judo when I was 5, and never really stopped. These days, I am more and more interested in the combination between philosophy and physical training that is Aïkido.