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.
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?
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?
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?
Research
PAN-AFRICANISM: between genuine aspirations and ideological hijacking
Short history, main thinkers and recent developments related to Russia’s influence in Africa.
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?
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?
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?
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?
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 ?
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 ?
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 !