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Governance and Societies

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States remain essential pillars of the international system, even if they are not the only players. Governance is a local, national and international issue.

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Publications
Date de publication
December 2025

The New Diplomatic Weight of Gulf Countries

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Illustration Lons PE4-2025
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Accroche

The political and economic weight of the Gulf monarchies has increased considerably. These countries have diversified their economies and become logistic hubs, attracting large numbers of investors. They have also managed to extend their power beyond their borders. However, the wider regional fallout of the war begun by Hamas on October 7, 2023 has cast doubt on the Gulf’s stability, especially as it seems that the American security umbrella can no longer be taken for granted

Camille LONS
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City Diplomacy and Human Mobility in Africa. Protecting Refugees and Migrants along the Central Mediterranean Route from the East and the Horn of Africa

Date de publication
26 November 2024
Accroche

Cities face constraints to work on migration and refugee issues, often due to a lack of decentralisation and resource constraints. Adopting an inclusive city approach can safeguard local authorities’ commitment towards providing protection to residents regardless of status, while not overstepping legal mandates.

Jim van Moorsel
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Rebooting Italy's Africa Policy: Making the Mattei Plan Work

Date de publication
25 November 2024
Accroche

Against the backdrop of increasing anti-French rhetoric across parts of Francophone Africa, the relative failure of the counterinsurgency operation in the central Sahel (Operation Barkhane) and diplomatic rifts with several Sahelian countries, Paris has been rethinking its relationship with the continent for several years now. As a former imperial power that has seen its colonial domain in Africa gain independence between 1956 (Morocco-Tunisia) and 1977 (Djibouti), France has invented two successive roles for itself in Africa since 1960, particularly in French-speaking sub-Saharan Africa.

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From Crisis Hotspots to Convening Powers. African Cities Launch Diplomacy to Create Climate Mobility Partnerships

Date de publication
20 November 2024
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African local governments cannot afford to turn into climate mobility hotspots without taking proactive action – drawing on local knowledge, convening power and access to affected communities.

Janina STÜRNER-SIOVITZ
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The dilemma of the Franco-African military relationship: reinvent or turn the page?

Date de publication
18 November 2024
Accroche

The origins of military presence and cooperation in Africa can be traced back to the tacit decolonization pact between the countries of French-speaking Africa. This cooperation led to the creation of African armies in the former colonies, as part of a project to prevent the spread of communism and maintain France's influence in the newly independent countries. 

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The Evolution of City Diplomacy in Africa: Impact, Potential, and Ongoing Challenges of African Cities’ International Activities.

Date de publication
15 November 2024
Accroche

Over the past decades, African cities have ranked among the leading players in the evolution of city diplomacy. Indeed, municipalities across the continent have gone beyond simply adapting to shifting trends in international cooperation. They have been shaping the current partnership approach that sees local authorities worldwide working together to pursue shared goals and address common urban challenges such as climate change, migration, and social justice.

Lorenzo KIHLGREN GRANDI
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The High Authority for Peacebuilding (HACP) in Niger 2011-2023. Placing the State at the heart of conflict prevention and management.

Date de publication
06 November 2024
Accroche

Like other Sahelian countries, Niger has been affected by terrorism for almost two decades now. This issue has highlighted both the limits of these countries’ security systems and, more profoundly, their inability to offer stability to the populations of certain parts of the country. In a way, these “jihadized insurgencies” are a continuity of groups that regularly take up arms against central states.

Abderrahmane CISSÉ
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Chad: from Deby to Deby. Recipes for a successful succession (2021-2024)

Date de publication
04 October 2024
Accroche

As in Togo and Gabon, the transition that took place in Chad from 2021 to 
2024 resulted in a dynastic succession. Mahamat Idriss Deby succeeded his 
father, Idriss Deby Itno, who was President of Chad from 1996 to 2021. While 
the majority of Chadians were hoping for a change of government, the “Deby 
system” has managed to hold on.

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State Elections in Thuringia, Saxony and Brandenburg - Extreme Parties on the Rise?

Date de publication
24 September 2024
Accroche

The Alternative for Germany (AfD) became Germany's strongest political force in the regional elections in Thuringia and Saxony.

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Is the Republican People’s Party (CHP) Rising from the Ashes?

Date de publication
24 September 2024
Accroche

The victory of the CHP [Cumhuriyet Halk Partisi, Republican People’s Party] in the Turkish municipal elections of March 2024 firmly established it as the leading party of opposition to the Islamic-conservative AKP [Adalet ve Kalkınma Partisi, Justice and Development Party], which has been in power since 2002. 

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The Influence of Strategic Subnational Diplomacy in International Relations

Date de publication
16 September 2024
Accroche

The international engagement of cities and local governments has increased and diversified recently. Mainly understood by the public as the cultural and academic ties cultivated within the sister-city framework, these connections now bear deeper and more strategic implications. 

Max BOUCHET
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The dilemma of the Franco-African military relationship: reinvent or turn the page?

Date de publication
18 November 2024
Accroche

The origins of military presence and cooperation in Africa can be traced back to the tacit decolonization pact between the countries of French-speaking Africa. This cooperation led to the creation of African armies in the former colonies, as part of a project to prevent the spread of communism and maintain France's influence in the newly independent countries. 

Image principale

The Evolution of City Diplomacy in Africa: Impact, Potential, and Ongoing Challenges of African Cities’ International Activities.

Date de publication
15 November 2024
Accroche

Over the past decades, African cities have ranked among the leading players in the evolution of city diplomacy. Indeed, municipalities across the continent have gone beyond simply adapting to shifting trends in international cooperation. They have been shaping the current partnership approach that sees local authorities worldwide working together to pursue shared goals and address common urban challenges such as climate change, migration, and social justice.

Lorenzo KIHLGREN GRANDI
Image principale

The High Authority for Peacebuilding (HACP) in Niger 2011-2023. Placing the State at the heart of conflict prevention and management.

Date de publication
06 November 2024
Accroche

Like other Sahelian countries, Niger has been affected by terrorism for almost two decades now. This issue has highlighted both the limits of these countries’ security systems and, more profoundly, their inability to offer stability to the populations of certain parts of the country. In a way, these “jihadized insurgencies” are a continuity of groups that regularly take up arms against central states.

Abderrahmane CISSÉ
Image principale

Chad: from Deby to Deby. Recipes for a successful succession (2021-2024)

Date de publication
04 October 2024
Accroche

As in Togo and Gabon, the transition that took place in Chad from 2021 to 
2024 resulted in a dynastic succession. Mahamat Idriss Deby succeeded his 
father, Idriss Deby Itno, who was President of Chad from 1996 to 2021. While 
the majority of Chadians were hoping for a change of government, the “Deby 
system” has managed to hold on.

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Is the Republican People’s Party (CHP) Rising from the Ashes?

Date de publication
24 September 2024
Accroche

The victory of the CHP [Cumhuriyet Halk Partisi, Republican People’s Party] in the Turkish municipal elections of March 2024 firmly established it as the leading party of opposition to the Islamic-conservative AKP [Adalet ve Kalkınma Partisi, Justice and Development Party], which has been in power since 2002. 

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State Elections in Thuringia, Saxony and Brandenburg - Extreme Parties on the Rise?

Date de publication
24 September 2024
Accroche

The Alternative for Germany (AfD) became Germany's strongest political force in the regional elections in Thuringia and Saxony.

Image principale

The Influence of Strategic Subnational Diplomacy in International Relations

Date de publication
16 September 2024
Accroche

The international engagement of cities and local governments has increased and diversified recently. Mainly understood by the public as the cultural and academic ties cultivated within the sister-city framework, these connections now bear deeper and more strategic implications. 

Max BOUCHET
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First Year of Lula: Overview of the Political Situation in Brazil

Date de publication
11 January 2024
Accroche

This Briefing offers an analysis of Brazil's political and economic situation and prospects at the end of 2023. It also examines Brazil's position on certain international relations issues, thirteen months after Lula's election.

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Russia’s Immigration Policy: New Challenges and Tools

Date de publication
20 January 2016
Accroche

A new stage in the development of Russia's migration policy is upon us. Since 2010, legal amendments and the Concept of Migration Policy of the Russian Federation to 2025, adopted in June 2012, marked a clear change in how migration flows are regulated, the aim being now to maximise the economic benefit of labour migration.

Lyoubov BISSON

The Changing Face of Migration Flows

Date de publication
20 April 2015
Accroche

Migration continues to be an integral part of the political landscape in several European capitals, especially at a time when national or local elections are approaching. Nearly all EU member states are under pressure in one way or another from external challenges, but some are under constant pressure from migration flows.

Stefano BERTOZZI

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