Navigating the Multilateral Seas: Lost in Decomposition? - Politique étrangère, Vol. 90, No. 2, Summer 2025
Institutionalized multilateralism seems to be under threat from power politics, especially within the UN system. There are continuing demands for the UN to be reformed. And flexible forms of consultation are being developed, such as club diplomacy and minilateralism. The reshaping of multilateralism is thus taking place mainly outside the institutional system, and its distance from the liberal international order and the multipolar order makes it less likely that the earth's habitability will be placed at the top of the multilateral agenda.
Frédéric Ramel is Professor of Political Science at Sciences Po Paris. As researcher at the Centre de recherches internationales (CERI), he co-directed the ANR DATAWAR program (2019-2023) and coordinates the Groupe de recherche sur l'action multilatérale (GRAM) at CNRS. He has just published Espace mondial (Paris, Presses de Sciences Po, 2024).
Article available in French only, published in Politique étrangère, Vol. 90, No. 2, Summer 2025.
Available in:
Themes and regions
Share
Download the full analysis
This page contains only a summary of our work. If you would like to have access to all the information from our research on the subject, you can download the full version in PDF format.
Navigating the Multilateral Seas: Lost in Decomposition? - Politique étrangère, Vol. 90, No. 2, Summer 2025
Find out more
Discover all our analysesDigital Revolution, Economic Upheaval
The digital revolution is profoundly shaking up the economy, with the impact felt well beyond the digital sector itself. Indeed, it is transforming the very concept of value creation. Artificial intelligence represents a new phase that requires a colossal investment in physical infrastructure like data centers. Europe failed to grasp the scale of these changes in time, but it does have certain advantages.
Germany: The Return of Military Service?
Abolished in 2011, conscription returned to Germany in 2025, albeit in a new, voluntary form. The decision in 2011 was broadly supported. Public opinion, like the political sphere, is more divided now. The reintroduction of voluntary service for men reflects the demands of the geopolitical landscape and the Bundeswehr’s need for troops. It remains to be seen whether the model chosen will fulfill the requirements of defense chiefs.
Foreword
In this special issue of Politique étrangère devoted to the proceedings of the conference organized by Ifri on April 10, 2019, in the Grand Amphitheater of the Sorbonne, on the occasion of its fortieth anniversary, read the foreword by Thierry de Montbrial, founder and president of Ifri.
Europe and Africa
In this special issue of Politique étrangère devoted to the proceedings of the conference organized by Ifri on April 10, 2019, in the Grand Amphitheater of the Sorbonne, on the occasion of its fortieth anniversary, discover the conversation between Louise Mushikiwabo, Secretary General of La Francophonie and Thierrry de Montbrial, Founder and Executive Chairman of Ifri.