Essays Politics Research
Thoughts on POWER (Alain)
Summary of “Propos sur le Pouvoir” by the French philosopher, journalist and professor Alain (1868-1951). Themes addressed include: political leadership, corruption, and democracy.
Research
On the ABOLITION of all POLITICAL PARTIES
Summary of Simone Weil’s note on the abolition of all political parties. She regards them as makers of collective passions, impediments to critical thinking, and power-hungry machines. She presents her ideal vision of what the political scene should look like.
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 Politics
TRUTH and POLITICS by Hannah Arendt
Summary of Hannah Arendt’s essay written in 1967. She gives a compelling description of the relationship between lying and power in totalitarian regimes. Her work resonates with current challenges posed by the post-truth era.
Essays Politics Research
TRANSITIONAL JUSTICE and TERRORISM in Africa and the Middle East
Perpetrator, victim or both at the same time? This question is a core difficulty faced by societies in Sub-Saharan Africa and the Middle East when dealing with people affected by terrorism. In order to tackle terrorism, including its manifestations and root causes, and heal from it, States may choose to Read more…
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?
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 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?
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?
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
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.
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?