Essays Geopolitics
CHINA – NORTH KOREA, an unswerving alliance?
Despite an economic and diplomatic relation historically and ideologically rooted, China and North Korea each pursue their own foreign interests, at times to the detriment of the other.
Essays Politics
The NOBEL PEACE PRIZE: an instrument of moral diplomacy or political influence?
Although the Nobel Peace Prize is intended as an instrument for peace and fraternity, some awards have been politically contentious. The prize is also criticised as a Western diplomatic tool.
Essays Geopolitics
The end of UN PEACE MISSIONS ?
Your 5-MINUTE WEEKLY DOSE OF GEOPOLITICS. This week : UN peace operations have long been criticised for their inefficiency, their new comprehensive format based on peace-building is however not free from criticisms.
Essays Geopolitics
Is the BALTIC SEA a “NATO lake” ?
Your 5-MINUTE WEEKLY DOSE OF GEOPOLITICS. This week : NATO has a strong foothold in the Baltic but seems powerless faced with Russia’s hybrid threats.
Essays Geopolitics
GERMANY, a major military power in Europe?
Your 5-MINUTE WEEKLY DOSE OF GEOPOLITICS. This week : Germany has realised the importance to ramp up national and European defence capabilities, but has it really the means and will to do it?
Essays Geopolitics
Is INDIA a threat for CHINA?
Your 5-MINUTE WEEKLY DOSE OF GEOPOLITICS. This week : India competes more and more with China, but remains far from outshining its neighbour and thus prefers avoiding antagonising it.
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.
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
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 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
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
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?
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?