Etienne Darcas is an analyst and researcher specializing in digital propaganda, platform algorithms, and the intersection of modern mass media and political violence. Born to a French father and American mother, he was raised in Melbourne, Australia, where his multicultural upbringing cultivated an early interest in how information flows across borders and shapes political realities. This transnational perspective, combining Australian pragmatism and French intellectual traditions with global affairs, informs his approach to understanding how digital platforms transform modern conflict.

Currently based in Berlin, Etienne serves as program lead for the Media and Terrorism Team at Rise to Peace, where he coordinates research on extremist content dissemination and algorithmic amplification. He is simultaneously a senior research fellow at EPIS Think Tank, contributing analyses on international security dynamics with a particular focus on Australian foreign policy and Asia-Pacific geopolitics. His work bridges academic rigor with operational intelligence, translating complex security research into actionable insights for policymakers and practitioners.

Etienne's academic trajectory reflects his commitment to understanding contemporary warfare's informational dimensions. He holds a Master of Arts in International War Studies from Universität Potsdam and University College Dublin (2023-2025), graduating with First Class Honours and achieving the highest grade in his cohort—recognition that earned him the Chair of War Studies Academic Excellence Scholarship. His thesis investigates what he terms "war pornography": the algorithmic transformation of Ukrainian combat footage into viral content optimized for engagement rather than comprehension. This research examines how platform recommendation systems don't merely carry propaganda but actively produce it, turning atrocity into addiction through systems designed to predict and manufacture desire. He is currently looking to develop this thesis further and turn it into a prospective PhD going forward.

His research engages with thinkers including Georges Bataille, Susan Sontag, Jean Baudrillard, and Paul Virilio, applying Continental philosophy to questions of contemporary media, violence, and spectatorship. He has developed innovative methodological approaches to studying digital war content, and his writing explores the intersection of technology, ethics, and human conflict, with particular focus on how late capitalism commodifies death and transforms warfare into a consumable spectacle. He is currently based in Europe, where he continues to research digital media's role in shaping contemporary understandings of violence and war.

His undergraduate foundation came from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, where he completed a Bachelor of Arts in International Studies (2014-2018) with a 3.7 GPA. This period established his interest in how global political dynamics manifest in everyday informational environments, leading him toward careers that combined analytical depth with practical application.

Etienne's professional experience spans intelligence analysis, field research, and media monitoring across government, private sector, and non-profit contexts. From 2018 to 2023, he served as a field officer with the Australian Bureau of Statistics, where he implemented qualitative and quantitative research methodologies in sensitive operational environments. Earlier, as a Media Intelligence Officer at Isentia (2015-2017), Etienne honed his capacity for real-time open-source intelligence production. Monitoring media sources across multiple platforms for government agencies and NGOs, he learned to synthesize large volumes of information into concise, actionable reports under strict deadlines. This experience developed his understanding that intelligence value lies not in volume but in relevance: knowing what matters, why it matters, and what decision-makers should do about it.

At Rise to Peace, Etienne currently leads the development of the research program that spans initiatives tracking signifiers of stochastic terrorism, propaganda, and violence in Western democracies; OSINT operations; and the weaponization of heritage sites in the Ukraine War. He oversees research design, coordinates projects, manages intern activities, and maintains collaborations across academic and policy institutions. Under his leadership, Rise to Peace has expanded its footprint through the publication of the Rise to Peace Academic Journal, providing early-career security researchers a platform to publish insights on the intersection of modern media and violence.