Montesquieu’s theory of “doux commerce” has never ceased to be debated.
Publications
With over 150 publications issued each year
under an open access policy in French, English, German and Russian,
Ifri enriches the international debate with a constant concern for
objectivity, intellectual rigor, transversality, openness, and support to public and private decision-making.
The criticism leveled by Americans at Europe’s neglect of its commitment to defense is not new, and is often exaggerated.
The First World War gave rise to the emergence of the discipline of international relations, but it was the Second World War and the Cold War that fostered its development.
There are some disturbing similarities between present-day Asia and pre-1914 Europe.
The First World War helped redefine the notion of strategy, giving it a political dimension that it previously lacked.
The first wave of globalization in the 20th century triggered deep upheaval of the organization of power and an overall depreciation of European nations.
Even if no independent cyberwar has ever taken place, “cyberspace” has nonetheless become an important dimension of current conflicts.
The Web has seen a spectacular development in Russia, opening an intermediary political space through which protesters against the regime have been able to coalesce, as shown by the events in late 2011 and early 2012.
The Asian “supercomplex” has taken shape: this is evident within the cross-membership model to Asian intergovernmental organizations and through the appearance of political counterweights to China, particularly in India.
The European crisis is primarily the result of economic difficulties and their social effects.