Johannes Thumfart

Johannes Thumfart is a researcher at Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB), focusing on digital sovereignty, international law, and the military applications of AI. His work bridges political philosophy with contemporary cybersecurity challenges, analyzing the intersection of state authority, digital rights, and postliberal governance frameworks.

• Key Research Outputs: Recent publications explore digital sovereignty in China/Russia/India, neutralization mechanisms in liberalism, and ethical implications of AI in military contexts.
• Projects: Active participant in the IOF strategic cofinancing project (2021–2025), addressing digital governance and sovereignty.
• Activities: Regularly engages in workshops on sovereignty, cybersecurity, and international law (e.g., 2023 Justifying Peace symposium, 2022 Sovereignty and Cyberspace debate).

Research Trends: His 2024–2025 work emphasizes postliberal critiques of digital governance, while earlier outputs (pre-2023) examine historical foundations of sovereignty through scholars like Francisco de Vitoria and Hugo Grotius.