Research
Lying in Politics – Reflections on the Pentagon Papers
Summary of Hannah Arendt's essay written in 1972. She takes the episode of the Pentagon Papers during the Vietnam war to reflect upon the subject of lying in politics.
Essays Geopolitics
Growing security concerns in the ARCTIC
Your 5-MINUTE WEEKLY DOSE OF GEOPOLITICS. This week : aggressive behaviours in the Arctic for its strategic resources may not lead to a direct confrontation yet. Multilateral diplomatic frameworks do exist, but they may not be enough.
Essays Geopolitics
Should we FOLLOW or FREEZE THE MONEY when fighting terrorism and organised crime?
What are the advantages and drawbacks of each strategy? Is one more efficient than the other? When should one be favoured over the other?
Essays Politics
[French] L’Afrique a-t-elle vraiment besoin d’institutions fortes ?
Comment améliorer la gouvernance en Afrique? Par le haut, en renforçant les institutions étatiques déjà (trop) fortes? La voie populaire, par le bas, est-elle alors à privilégier?
Essays Geopolitics
Has the world entered a “NO WAR, NO PEACE” era?
Is a Western-dominated world order really a guarantee for peace? How has the shift from power rivalry to power inequality changed warfare? What is "weakness politics"? Does peace still exist?
History and Case studies
The COLOUR REVOLUTIONS in Georgia, Ukraine and Kyrgyzstan
What sparked the Colour revolutions? Did they bring democracy and the rule of law? What role did the US play? How did it impact relations with Russia?
History and Case studies
NIGERIA and Boko-Haram
How did Boko Haram get control of Lake Chad? How does Boko Haram differ from the Islamic State? What is the connection between terrorism and criminality? What hinders Nigerian counter-terrorist efforts?
Essays Geopolitics
A collapse of the TALIBAN regime in the medium term (3-5 years)?
How likely is it that the Taliban regime will collapse in 3 to 5 years? Will internal divisions, rebel groups, popular unrest and foreign pressure make it fall?
History and Case studies
Administrating IMPERIAL TERRITORIES between the 1880s and 1939
How was political, economic and cultural domination organised? What were the different modes of colonial administration? How was the colonial system challenged both in the metropole and in the colonies?
History and Case studies
IMPERIAL HIERARCHIES between the 1880s and the 1990s
How were racial hierarchies justified and implemented? Why was there also a hierarchy among colonised populations? How did colonial conquests fuel imperial rivalries?
Essays Politics
Should the EU get its own INTELLIGENCE AGENCY?
What are the shortcomings of the EU’s intelligence apparatus? Is a European Intelligence Agency the solution? How to foster cooperation between member States?
History and Case studies
Summary of ARAB-ISRAELI CONFLICTS since 1948
What were the causes & consequences of the various wars? How do Israeli-Palestinian tensions impact the broader regional context? How do the PLO and the Hamas differ? Why have attempts to pacify Israeli-Palestinian relations fail?
Research
International Humanitarian Law (jus in bello)
What are the Geneva and La Haye conventions? What are the three components of the Law of Armed Conflicts? Are human rights law and humanitarian law the same? What are the 5 core principles of the LOAC?
Essays Politics
What is a NATION ?
What are the two tenets on which rests the concept of nation? Are nations eternal? Are they linked to notions of race, language, religion, interest or geography?
History and Case studies
A Short History of RUSSIA
Twelve centuries of Russian history to discover how Russia has built its identity under the Mongols, Ivan the Terrible, the Romanov, the Soviet Union and now Vladimir Putin.
Research
HUMILIATION in International Relations
How can globalisation and Western modernity be both desired and rejected? What are the humiliating ways in which the West sustains its global domination? How does humiliation fuel national narratives? How have wars changed in a way that humiliation has become systematic?
Research
CHINA in AFRICA, a “shared future”?
Is it a "win-win" relation? Does China help Africa develop? Does it use "debt-trap diplomacy"? How does China play the big brother? What challenges will it face?
Essays Geopolitics
Limits of the POWER VACUUM Logic in AFRICA
Liberal actors see Africa as a proxy landscape for their power rivalry with illiberal countries. However, they forget that African States have their own agency and that it's not a simple zero-sum game, a vacuum is not always spatial.
Research
RUSSIA, a predator in AFRICA
What is Russia's strategy in Africa? How does it use the Wagner group? What's happening in CAR, Mali, Sudan and SAF? What can limit Russia's influence?
Research
Weak and Failed States in AFRICA
Who is at the basis of the DRC's educational system? How do Chad's rural populations settle property-related disputes? Why do Guinean hunters perform law enforcement missions? Why is a NGO fighting terrorism in Benin's national parks?
History and Case studies
From Clinton to Biden: a look back on 30 years of US LEADERSHIP
Delve into Bill Clinton’s pragmatic Wilsonianism, George W. Bush’s “America First”, Barack Obama’s smart power, Donald Trump’s unilateralism and Joe Biden’s Cold War mentality…
History and Case studies
ETHIOPIA, ERITREA and the TIGRAY war
What was Ethiopia's position during the Cold War? What is the history of the relations between Ethiopia and Eritrea? What sparked the Tigray War in 2020?
Research
PAN-AFRICANISM: between genuine aspirations and ideological hijacking
Short history, main thinkers and recent developments related to Russia's influence in Africa.
History and Case studies
Jihadism in MALI, the FULA case
Who are the Fula and why do some fight with jihadists? Why is the ethno-religious lens an inadequate tool? How has poor governance fueled the security crisis?
Research
TURKEY and RUSSIA : a strategic alliance ?
Do past rivalries impact their relations? Why is Turkey annoying NATO? How complementary are their economies? How compartmentalised are their interests?
History and Case studies
UGANDA: the “Pearl of Africa”
Presentation of Uganda's History, culture, politics, economy, security situation and so much more !
Research
AL-QAEDA and DAESH in Africa
What are the various African terrorist groups? How different are al-Qaeda and Daesh's targets, strategies and images? How will the threat evolve in Africa?
History and Case studies
SOMALIA: al-Qaeda’s base in Eastern Africa
How did Islamist groups exploit state weaknesses? Why did piracy develop there? Why do Kenya and Ethiopia get involved in Somalia's security issues?
History and Case studies
SUDAN and SOUTH-SUDAN: the forgotten wars
What caused the 2017 famine in South-Sudan? What are the root causes of the genocide in Darfur? How was Omar al-Bashir deposed by the 2019 revolution?
History and Case studies
RWANDA and BURUNDI: genocide between Hutu and Tutsi
How did ethnic tensions culminate in a genocide between Hutus and Tutsis? What role did colonisation play? Who is Paul Kagamé the current Rwandan President ?
Research
TURKEY in AFRICA
How does Turkey leverage its soft and hard powers to gain influence in Africa? Which narrative does it develop? What challenges does it face?
History and Case studies
THE DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF CONGO: the resource curse
How come the DRC has so much natural resource but is still poor? What has been the influence of Rwanda over the DRC over the past decades? What is the M23?
History and Case studies
CENTRAL AFRICAN REPUBLIC : civil war and Russian predation
Why do the Seleka and anti-Balaka fight each other? What is Russia doing in CAR? Is the civil war still on? How are the UN and the EU trying to stop it?
History and Case studies
ARMENIA and AZERBAIJAN: the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict
Why did Stalin give Nagorno-Karabakh to Azerbaijan? What was the evolution of the conflict since 1992? What role does Russia play there?
History and Case studies
A short History of the IRAN-US relationship
How was the Iranian regime before/after 1979 ? Who was the Ayatollah Khomeini ? How did the US-Iran relationship evolve ? What is the Iranian nuclear deal ?
History and Case studies
MALI and France’s counter-terrorist operations
Why and how did France intervene? What were its motivations? Does the recent French withdrawal from Mali represent a defeat? What role are Russians playing?
History and Case studies
Conflicts in YUGOSLAVIA in the 1990s
Background information since WW1, summaries of the wars in Croatia, Bosnia and Kosovo, and explanations on how crimes were judged in the aftermath of the wars.
Essays Politics
How does RESEMBLING THE PEOPLE YOU REPRESENT lead to a better Defence of their Interests?
How does passive representation lead to active representation? How does it work in bureaucracies? Are quotas really useful in politics?
Essays Politics
Can PUBLIC OPINION really impact Public Policy?
How can public opinion impact public policies? When can it do so? Is it the most important public policy determinant?
Research
The EUROPEAN UNION: how does it work ?
What is the history of the EU? Why didn't the UK adopt the euro? How do EU institutions work? What challenges does the EU face?
Essays Politics
What is Wrong with ANTI-CORRUPTION policies?
Why does corruption persist? Is it a principal-agent or a collective action problem? Are there solutions to eradicate it? Can corruption actually be beneficial?
Essays Politics
The Role of States in MARKETS’ Development
What role did states play in the emergence of markets? How and why does capitalism push for state non-intervention? Are states necessary for markets' survival?
Essays Politics
Can Street-level BUREAUCRATS improve Policies?
When and how can they improve public policies? Is their discretion always a good thing? How to hold them accountable? Can technology help them improve policies?
Essays Politics
Should Politicians Listen to PUBLIC OPINION?
Why does public opinion matter in democracy? What are the drawbacks of basing decisions on public opinion? When does public opinion really matter?
Essays Politics
[French] Renforcer le Lien ARMÉE-NATION en France
Qu'est ce que le lien armée-nation? Comment s'est-il manifesté depuis 1789? Quel rôle joue la réserve? Quelles politiques pour renforcer le lien armée-nation?
Essays Politics
Why do Policies seem to go Wrong so Often?
How are policy failures constructed? What role do the media play? How do political promises mislead citizens? What are the shortcomings of our bureaucracies?
History and Case studies
SOUTH-EAST ASIA in the Middle of a Superpower Rivalry
Has the US achieved its "Pivot to Asia" ? How does China expand its influence ? Is the ASEAN a united bloc ? Will it align itself with one side or the other?
Essays Geopolitics
The USA: after Trump, a Return to Normal ?
Will Joe Biden make everything return to normal ? Is he returning to multilateralism ? Multilateralism to counter China ? Can Biden bring together the US ?
Essays Politics
Are we Moving Away from NEOLIBERALISM?
What is neoliberalism? How did we adopt this model? Are we witnessing its end? What role did covid-19 play? What would replace neoliberalism?
History and Case studies
[Part 3] Why did the US fail in AFGHANISTAN (2001-2021)
What military and diplomatic strategies did the US adopt? What mistakes did they make? Who is in good terms with the Taliban? How will they govern?
History and Case studies
[Part 2] The War in AFGHANISTAN (2001-2021)
Why and how did the US intervene in Afghanistan? How was Osama bin Laden killed? What role did Pakistan play? Why did the US leave in 2021?
History and Case studies
[Part 1] Wars in AFGHANISTAN (1979-2001)
What happened during the Soviet-Afghan war and the ensuing civil wars? What was Pakistan's role? Who are the mujahideen? Who are the Taliban?
Research
West Africa, a Hotbed of NARCOTERRORISM
What definition for narcoterrorism? How do South-American cartels and West-African terrorist groups collaborate? How governments fight both drug and terrorism ?
Essays Geopolitics
NAVAL POWER’s Role in a National Defence Strategy
What is the meaning of naval power? What are the advantages of naval power compared to land and air forces? Why a navy is economically and logistically vital ?
Essays Geopolitics
NUCLEAR PROLIFERATION and World Stability
Is the nuclear non-proliferation treaty efficient ? Do nuclear weapons prevent conflicts? What's the point of nuclear weapons today? What are the risks of uncontrolled nuclear proliferation?
Research
DAESH’s Statehood and Caliphate
What are the ideological, political, social and economic basis of the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria (ISIS)? Is Daesh a caliphate ? Is it a state proper ?
Essays Politics
Economic Development and Democracy: how one affects the other
What is economic development ? How is it linked to democracy for Lipset, Robinson and Acemoglu ? Should governments promote democracy to foster growth ?
History and Case studies
History of CHINA and the World since 1949
How did Mao Zedong establish a communist regime in 1949? What role did China play during the Cold War? Why is it a capitalist power now ? How is it governed?
Essays Geopolitics
Russia and the West: a NEW COLD WAR?
What is a cold war? Are there current ideological differences ? Do tensions go beyond simple rhetoric fights and diplomatic tensions? What about China ?
Research
Religious Communities in the MIDDLE EAST
Maps and definitions of the different religious communities in the Middle East ! Let's understand their relations with one another and how it underpins some conflicts !