Deciding under uncertainty: International Relations Master students put MEDOT to the test

16 February 2026

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Taking on responsibility means having to make decisions in situations that are often complex and fraught with uncertainty. During an immersive workshop at the Maison de la recherche, students in the Master 2 International Relations program took part in an emergency decision-building exercise, using the method for developing a tactical operational decision (MEDOT). The scenario involved the evacuation of nationals from a crisis zone.
A group of students sitting around a table, a map hanging on the wall behind them.
Group discussion on the evacuation scenario for French nationals © DR‎

The military method of decision making (MEDOT) enables a team with varied skills to work in symbiosis, integrating all the data on a problem, discerning priorities and deciding on a course of action.

This exercise is one of the situational workshops in the Master 2 International Relations curriculum. Organized over a full day on February 3, it was led by four officers from the Enseignement militaire supérieur scientifique et technique (EMSST) and is part of the International Relations Master's desire to acculturate its students to the concrete realities of the various professionals working in the field.

In this way, the International Relations Master also intends to bring to life the long-standing partnership linking Inalco and the Centre de l'enseignement militaire supérieur-Terre, with a view to decompartmentalizing and sharing expertise and practices.

A student and a man in uniform stand in front of a map. A group of students give a presentation to a seated man in uniform.
Risk assessment and definition of an evacuation route in a crisis context © DR / Final group presentation to Lieutenant-Colonel THELLIER © DR‎