Essays
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
[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
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?
Briefs Essays
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?
Essays Research
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?
Essays Research
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
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?
Essays Research
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?
Essays 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?
Essays
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
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?
Essays
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
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
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
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
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?
Essays
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
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?
Essays
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
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?