The Gulf Search for Power(s) / Politique étrangère, Vol. 90, No. 4, 2025
Persian Gulf countries have become heavyweights in the international arena, wielding influence both regionally and far beyond. Acting as diplomatic mediators, investors, and hosts of global events, they are attempting to move beyond their long-standing role as suppliers of energy resources and reshape their economic, social, and political foundations through ambitious national “Visions”. Their international alliances are proving increasingly flexible, broadening their diplomatic reach (even if Washington’s influence remains decisive)—with Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates all part of a dynamic pushing many global actors toward multi-alignment.
In Southeast Asia, the balance of influence tilts between China and the United States. Does the region’s broad spectrum of foreign policies signal flexibility and pragmatism, allowing these countries to capitalize on the Sino-American rivalry? Or does it instead reveal the underlying economic, social, and political contradictions of a space struggling to organize itself collectively? Despite its aspirations to become the leading regional architecture, in practice ASEAN exerts little influence over the defense and security decisions of its members, who are caught between largely conflicting agendas.
In multiple ways, the Gulf and Southeast Asia epitomize the emergence of a deregulated world order, where a multitude of actors vie to leverage their room for strategic maneuver—a latitude that remains precarious as major behemoths tirelessly amass the instruments of their dominance.
THE GULF'S SEARCH FOR POWER(S)
The New Diplomatic Weight of Gulf Countries, by Camille Lons
Gulf Sovereign Wealth Funds: Major Actors in World Finance, by François-Aïssa Touazi
Saudi Arabia 2030: EnVisioning all the Challenges, by Hasni Abidi
Qatar and the UAE: Mirrored Ambitions, by Emma Soubrier
Caught between Beijing and Washington: The Gulf’s Search for Multi-Alignment, by Jean-Loup Samaan
Caught between China and the US: Southeast Asia’s strategic fence-sitting, by Sophie Boisseau-du-Rocher and Françoise Nicolas
Has ASEAN become Marginalized within Regional Security architecture?, by Juliette Loesch
CURRENT AFFAIRS
Bangladesh: Caught between a Political Crisis and the Rise of Islamism, by Charza Shahabuddin
Frontex, the First and Last European “Army”?, by Thomas Canvel
Foreign Policy at City Hall, by Yves Viltard
REFLECTIONS
Toward a Latino-Pacific Geo-economic Strategy, by Andrés Bórquez, Juan Enrique Serrano-Moreno, Carlos Olguín, and Rodrigo del Río
Iraq power Outages: An Absence of Governance?, by Myriam Benraad
Will France’s Nuclear Deterrent Extend Europe-Wide?, by Elie Perot
BOOK REVIEWS
Editor: Marc Hecker
L'ère des affrontements: Les grands tournants géopolitiques, by Thierry de Montbrial
Reviewed by Alain Dejammet
Under the Nuclear Shadow: China’s Information-Age Weapons in International Security, by Fiona Cunningham
China’s Quest for Military Supremacy, by Joel Wuthnow and Phillip C. Saunders
Reviewed by Marc Julienne
216 pages. 23 euros.
December 2nd, 2025.
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The Year He Woke
Vikas Swarup, an Indian writer and former diplomat, is the author of four novels, including Q & A (New York: Doubleday, 2005), which has been translated into 47 languages and adapted for the screen under the title Slumdog Millionaire.
Text published in Politique étrangère, Vol. 91, No. 2, 2026.
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Historically, technological change has altered how battles are fought but has not overturned the fundamental principles of war. However, three considerations may now represent an actual revolution: the recourse to tactical nuclear weapons, the development of software for “multi-domain operations,” and the prospect of general artificial intelligence. The organization of militaries and the use of force need to be rethought in this light.
War and Technology: An Approaching Military Revolution?
Historically, technological change has altered how battles are fought but has not overturned the fundamental principles of war. However, three considerations may now represent an actual revolution: the recourse to tactical nuclear weapons, the development of software for “multi-domain operations,” and the prospect of general artificial intelligence. The organization of militaries and the use of force need to be rethought in this light.
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