The Return of Robert Gates
The memoirs of public men are exercises in self-promotion and self-justification. They are designed to etch a portrait of the (wo)man that will live across time. It's the legacy thing. These days, that legacy pertains also to the "here and now" since memoirs are not necessarily the conclusion of a career but rather the curtain-raising on its next act.
Cyberguerre : En quête d'une stratégie
Cyberspace, as a major but intricate field of action, represents both a challenge and a great strategic advantage. At a time when information technology affects all relationships at a global level, states are destabilized by growing dependence on computer data which puts their militaries at risk.
The intervention in Mali: Weimar Triangle Analyses: French, Polish and German viewpoints on European questions
On an initiative of the German Council of Foreign Relations (DGAP), the Study Committee for Franco-German Relations (Cerfa) of the French Institute of International Relations (IFRI) and the Polish Institute of International Affairs (PISM) are regularly publishing short contributions on a common subject, written by three experts of these institutes. The purpose of these “Weimar Triangle Analyses” is to give the French, Polish and German views on central questions of European politics and European integration.
The Battle over Fire Support: The CAS Challenge and the Future of Artillery
Traditionally, maneuver units are designed for mobility and control of the ground, while supporting forces (artillery, aviation) deliver fires to protect the former and ensure their freedom of action.
Russia: the bear's grip falters
We should all be able to agree on a fact: despite the growing international indignation toward it, Russia’s position on Syria has remained remarkably consistent throughout the crisis there. By blocking passage of any resolution at the UN Security Council, Russia has gained both an international visibility and influence that go far beyond its means. And it is precisely this on which the Kremlin seeks to capitalize.
Les opérations aéroportées : la profondeur stratégique en question
Airborne operations draw their strategic importance from the scale and magnitude they provide to air-land operations. Yet, their concept of employment, shaped by their historical legacy may seem unfit to contemporary requirements - especially regarding their vulnerability during dropping and penetration phases when troops are isolated and highly dependent on external support.
Toward the End of Force Projection? II. Operational Responses and Political Perspectives
For more than a decade, US defense circles have been concerned about the emergence of capabilities and strategies, which, as they spread, risk imperiling the United States" position in the world by their ability to disrupt or prevent force projection operations. Though most of the literature on such “anti-access” strategies focuses on the military aspects of the threat, this Focus stratégique - the second and last part of a two-part study - adopts a different perspective.
Toward the End of Force Projection? I. The Anti-Access Threat
Force projection has become a general posture and a fundamental dimension of the influence Western powers intend to exert over the world by means of their armed forces.
Francs-tireurs et Centurions : Les ambiguïtés de l'héritage contre-insurrectionnel français
The war in Afghanistan and David Galula’s reputation in the United States have revived France’s counterinsurgency legacy. This legacy must be divided into two separate periods: the colonial era and later on the wars of decolonization fought by France in Indochina and Algeria.
Strategic Stability in the Cold War: Lessons for Continuing Challenges
During the Cold War, the phrase “strategic stability” gained currency both as a foreign policy objective and as an apt way of describing the fact that the United States and the Soviet Union never actually went to war.
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