The project, funded by the Arts and Humanities Research Council, is a collaborative initiative between Lancaster University and the University of Amsterdam. It aims to develop a shared framework to understand and analyse ‘Grey Zone warfare’. This is a concept that has emerged since 2014 as one of the key strategic challenges of the 21st century.

The ‘Grey Zone’ lies between peaceful (white) action carried out by a nation and hostile (black) action, which could be seen as an act of war. Hence it can be a nebulous concept. Yet the threat is real. NATO has identified ‘growing global uncertainty, more sophisticated and disruptive cyber and hybrid threats, and exponential technological change’ as significant dangers.

The project aims to provide clarity by characterising ‘Grey Zone Warfare’ in order to develop understanding of the present and most likely future of warfare. Through a cross-chronological approach, interdisciplinary research, and international collaboration, it seeks to inform stakeholders such as policymakers, researchers and the public, while reflecting on strategies to address these increasingly complex threats.

After project workshops in Lancaster, Amsterdam, and RUSI Brussels, the final meeting was held at the EUI) in Florence. EUI was established in 1972 by the European Union’s founding member states and opened its doors to researchers in 1976. The EUI is an intergovernmental organisation providing advanced academic training and cutting-edge research opportunities in the fields of economics, history, law, political, social sciences, and beyond.

The workshop was led by the project’s Principal Investigator, Professor Marco Wyss of the CWD and Co-Investigator Dr Samuël Kruizinga of the University of Amsterdam, together with Professor Simone Tholens of the Robert Schuman Centre for Advanced Studies based at the EUI.

Professor Wyss commented, ‘the workshop was the latest in a series which brought together leading scholars and thinkers in the field to examine our findings from the Grey Zone project and to discuss how this work will be taken forward.'

An edited volume exploring the development of Grey Zone warfare across time and geographies, edited by Professor Wyss and Professor Kruizinga, is planned for publication in mid-2026.

More information on the project can be found on the project webpage.