OPEN ECHOES Episode #1

An interview with Dr. Andreas Liaropoulos

OPEN Echoes reflects the original thoughts, analyses, and viewpoints shared by academics, thought leaders and non-military experts — spreading ideas, perspectives, and insights across the globe.  It’s our hope that the insights shared in these episodes will help to impact and influence thinking and conversations long after you take off your headphones. OPEN Echoes alternates episodes between compelling interviews with non-NATO subject matter experts, and readings from OPEN's wide range of publications. In this episode, we interview Dr. Andreas Liaropoulos.

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Dr. Andreas Liaropoulos is an esteemed assistant professor in the Department of International and European Studies at the University of Piraeus in Greece. With a background in international relations and security, Dr. LIAROPOLOUS holds a master's degree in intelligence and strategic studies from Aberystwyth in Wales, and a PhD from Swansea University, focusing on information warfare and military affairs. Over the course of his 10-year research career, Dr. LIAROPOLOUS has dedicated his efforts to understanding the impact of information and communication technology in cyberspace on security, strategy, and warfare. His expertise lies in the realms of information war, information security, propaganda, and strategic communication. Dr. LIAROPOLOUS recently authored a notable article for NATO titled "Information as an Instrument of Power: lessons learned from the war in Ukraine," where he explored the case study of Ukraine's conflict and highlighted the challenges posed by the weaponization of information.

This OPEN Echoes interview explores:

- The profound influence of information warfare and how it affects the entire spectrum of conflicts, ranging from information security to traditional warfare.- The ongoing debate surrounding the weaponization of information and the urgent need for societies to recognize the constant battle for perceptions, trust, and truth in the era of social media platforms and the internet.- The importance of understanding the changing nature of conflict and the critical role of empowered civil societies, government institutions, and the private sector in countering the challenges posed by hybrid warfare.- A call for a holistic approach to addressing the complex issue of information warfare, combining sociopolitical, technical, and cultural perspectives to safeguard democracy and effectively respond to evolving security challenges.

Dr. LIAROPOLOUS article, "Information as an Instrument of Power: lessons learned from the war in Ukraine," is available on the OPEN Publications website. 

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The lightly-edited transcript of this episode’s interview with Dr. LIAROPOLOUS follows:

DAVE: Our guest on today's program is Dr. Andreas Liaropoulos.  He's the author of a NATO OPEN article entitled “Information as an Instrument of Power: lessons learned from the war in Ukraine”. Andreas, so nice to meet you. How are you? 

DR. LIAROPOLOUS: I'm fine. Thank you. I'm looking forward for our conversation. 

DAVE: Absolutely. If you don't mind, please, I find it's better practice to have our guests introduce themselves. So if you could, please just introduce yourself, give us a little bit of your background. Let us know how you got to where you are right now. 

DR. LIAROPOLOUS: Sure, thank you.  Well, right now I'm an assistant professor in the University of Piraeus in Greece and the Department of International and European Studies in general. 

My background is on international relations, international security. I did my master’s on intelligence and strategic studies in Aberystwyth in Wales. I got my PhD in Swansea on information warfare and revolution, military affairs in general. 

And for the people that will have a chance to look at the article, the things I'm working on are in general on information war, information security issues that relate to propaganda, strategic communication and many other fan