Should Sciences Po take a stand on the social, political and geopolitical issues of the day? The question has been a sensitive one for the past 16 months. Protesting students have sought, unsuccessfully, to have the school denounce the crimes committed by the Israeli army in Gaza in retaliation for the terrorist attacks perpetrated by Hamas on October 7, 2023.

The Paris-based university's new director, Luis Vassy, aims to clarify matters by proposing a "doctrine" on the institution's position on current issues. The document, which was presented to the board of directors – made up of faculty, staff and students – on Tuesday, February 11, will be voted on twice, once by the board itself on March 18, and again by the board of directors of the National Foundation of Political Science on March 12.

After obtaining from the Council of State the annulment of a conference by the hard-left French-Palestinian MEP Rima Hassan at the end of November 2024, Vassy displayed his ambition not to turn Sciences Po into a "political object." Cautious, this new doctrine upholds the principle of "institutional reserve," meaning the establishment cannot express an opinion on an ongoing conflict. It is based on a 40-page internal report seen by Le Monde.

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