11–12 Jun 2026 Annual Conference
Stockholm University
Europe/Stockholm timezone

Vectorial Analysis of Hybrid Warfare: Directionality, Interaction, and Systemic Effects

Not scheduled
20m
Stockholm University

Stockholm University

Frescativägen, 114 19 Stockholm, Sweden
Full-length paper for the Best Paper Prize [max. 5.000 words] Reserve List

Speaker

Fabio Duarte (Czech Technical University / Charles University)

Description

The concepts of 'hybrid warfare' and 'hybrid threats' have expanded into a wide, heterogeneous set of typologies, primarily centred on instruments and actors. As the range of activities labelled “hybrid” continues to grow, existing approaches increasingly struggle to explain how diverse hybrid actions combine, interact, and generate systemic effects below the threshold of direct armed conflict. This article introduces a vectorial analytical framework for the study of hybrid warfare, conceptualising hybrid actions as directed coercive vectors operating across one or multiple domains and targeting specific institutional subsystems. Building on existing hybrid-threat taxonomies, the framework models each activity according to its direction, magnitude, temporal profile, and degree of coordination with other vectors. This vectorial approach enables systematic differentiation between unidirectional, bidirectional, and multidirectional forms of hybrid pressure and provides a structured means of analysing their cumulative and non-linear effects. Rather than proposing a new definition of hybrid warfare, the article advances a meso-level analytical model that bridges descriptive typologies with decision-oriented analysis. The framework is illustrated through empirical vignettes drawn from contemporary and prospective hybrid-threat target arenas, demonstrating its utility for comparative analysis, simulation and scenario development, and the structured assessment of institutional resilience.

If you are submitting an Open Panel proposal, have you included all four abstracts in attachment? No, I am submitting a Closed Panel abstract
Would you like to be considered for travel funding through the NetSec COST Action? Yes
Are you a member of the NetSec Management Committee? No
What discipline or branch of humanities or social sciences do you identify yourself with? Political Science/Geopolitics
Which of the following best describes your stage of the career? PhD Candidate
In which country is your home institution? Czech Republic
What is your gender? Male

Author

Fabio Duarte (Czech Technical University / Charles University)

Presentation materials

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