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Populism and International Relations

Issues from Politique Etrangère
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Populism is flourishing, in Europe and elsewhere: a populist holds power today in Argentina and perhaps tomorrow in the United States. What does its spread say about our societies? And how is it shaping them, where populists rule? Do their economic policies stand any chance of success? Do their foreign policies have a greater impact on the world around them or at home? If “Trump 2.0” comes to be, will he have a free hand? If so, what can we expect?

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Corps analyses

Does the tragedy in Gaza leave any room for hope? Can the two-state solution, the only rational one, still be implemented? The challenges are daunting: redrawing a geography fractured by colonization; establishing a credible Palestinian voice that can engage in a long negotiation; seeking acceptance in Israeli society; and rallying a range of foreign powers to take concrete action and push for the only remaining solution.

Beyond Ukraine and Gaza, Africa has been serving as a playing field for rival powers of all stripes: while France retreats and the US hesitates, Russia is advancing and several other states are making their presence felt—Turkey, Iran, the Gulf states, Hungary, even Ukraine. The range of opportunist strategies keeps growing, but is there a common geopolitical rationale underlying them all?

In the interview that opens this issue of Politique étrangère, Thierry de Montbrial analyzes an international scene in which the major instruments conceived in recent decades to foster global governance have been undermined. In particular, he considers the effects of the war in Ukraine and the uncertain destiny of the European Union.

This issue is available in French only: Populismes et relations internationales

 

Global Governance, Ukraine, and the European Union: Quo Vadis?, by Thierry de Montbrial

POPULISM AND INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS

Populism and the Far Right: What Exactly Do We Mean?, by Jean-Yves Camus

The Diversity and Failures of Economic Populism, by André Cartapanis

What Is a Populist Foreign Policy?, by Sandra Destradi

US Institutions and the “Trump 2” Hypothesis: The Lure of Authoritarianism, by Lauric Henneton

Argentina in the Era of “Mileism”, by Florian Vidal

ISRAEL-PALESTINE: THINKING ABOUT PEACE?

Israel-Palestine: One Solution, Two States, by Élie Barnavi

Israel-Palestine: The Question of Geography, by Michel Foucher

CURRENT AFFAIRS

The Red Sea: A New Geopolitical Era, by Cyrille P. Coutansais

Africa: The New Great Game, by Thierry Vircoulon

Myanmar: Military Victory Unattainable, Negotiated Peace Unlikely?, by Christian Lechervy

BAROMETERS

Paris 2024: The Geopolitics of the Olympic Games, by Jean-Baptiste Guégan

Syria: “Post–Civil War” Reprisals and the Persistence of the Past, by Myriam Benraad

BOOK REVIEWS

Editor: Marc Hecker

L’enchevêtrement des crises au Sahel. Niger, Mali, Burkina Faso, Jean-Pierre Olivier de Sardan

Le djihad de la vache. Pastoralisme et formation de l’État au Mali, Giovanni Zanoletti

Read by Alain Antil

Backfire. How Sanctions Reshape the World Against U.S. Interests, Agathe Demarais

Read by Michel Makinsky

 

Decoration

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ISBN / ISSN

979-10-373-0808-5

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Populism and International Relations

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 A soldier watching a sunset on an armored infantry fighting vehicle
Security Studies Center
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Heir to a tradition dating back to the founding of Ifri, the Security Studies Center provides public and private decision-makers as well as the general public with the keys to understanding power relations and contemporary modes of conflict as well as those to come. Through its positioning at the juncture of politics and operations, the credibility of its civil-military team and the wide distribution of its publications in French and English, the Center for Security Studies constitutes in the French landscape of think tanks a unique center of research and influence on the national and international defense debate.

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Bundeswehr: From Zeitenwende (historic turning point) to Epochenbruch (epochal shift)

Date de publication
25 February 2026
Accroche

The Zeitenwende (historic turning point) announced by Olaf Scholz on February 27, 2022, is shifting into high gear. Financially supported by the March 2025 reform of Germany’s “debt break” and backed by a broad political and societal consensus to strengthen and modernize the Bundeswehr, Germany's military capabilities are set to rapidly increase over the coming years. Expected to assume a central role in the defense of the European continent in the context of changing transatlantic relations, Berlin’s military-political position on the continent is being radically transformed. 

Johanna MÖHRING
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Main Battle Tank: Obsolescence or Renaissance?

Date de publication
17 November 2025
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Since February 2022, Russian and Ukrainian forces combined have lost more than 5,000 battle tanks, a much higher volume than all the European armor combined. Spearhead of the Soviet doctrine from which the two belligerents came, tanks were deployed in large numbers from the first day and proved to be a prime target for UAVs that became more numerous and efficient over the months. The large number of UAV strike videos against tanks has also led a certain number of observers to conclude, once again, that armor is obsolete on a modern battlefield. This approach must, however, be nuanced by a deeper study of the losses and their origin, UAVs rarely being the sole origin of the loss itself, often caused by a combination of factors such as mines, artillery or other anti-tank weapons.

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Mapping the MilTech War: Eight Lessons from Ukraine’s Battlefield

Date de publication
12 February 2026
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This report maps out the evolution of key technologies that have emerged or developed in the last 4 years of the war in Ukraine. Its goal is to derive the lessons the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) could learn to strengthen its defensive capabilities and prepare for modern war, which is large-scale and conventional in nature.

Élie TENENBAUM Bohdan KOSTIUK Daryna-Maryna PATIUK Anastasya SHAPOCHKINA
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"Iron Swords" A Military Analysis of Israel's War in Gaza

Date de publication
02 October 2025
Accroche

On October 7, 2023, Hamas' attack, dubbed “Al-Aqsa Flood,” caused a major shock and led Israel to launch the longest war in its history. Operation “Iron Swords” was notable for its unprecedented intensity, both in terms of the massive ground forces deployed and the firepower used.

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