The Bear and the Dragon. Russia-China: The story of a friendship without limits?
17 November 2025 | 18h00 at the École militaire
Ukraine: the strength of the weak
13 October 2025 | 6.30pm at the École militaire
The Year of National Defence 2026
The year 2024 has been marked by profound upheavals: the American election, the war in Ukraine, tensions in the Middle East and the redefinition of France's presence in Africa. More broadly speaking, international balances, military alliances and the role of multilateral organisations are undergoing rapid change, while new threats are emerging: [...]
Open data: when tracking sites reveal strategic moves
In recent years, flight tracking, navigation and even running applications have enabled the general public to keep track of important diplomatic or military movements. Governments are now taking this into account.
Marlène Laruelle: "Younger generations are no longer spontaneously inclined towards liberalism".
To mark the International Day of Democracy, French academic Marlène Laruelle, who has directed "The Oxford Handbook of Illiberalismin an interview with the IHEDN, analyses this fast-growing ideology and the way it has evolved into "illiberal democracy".
Opening of the 242e regional session in Beauvais
The 242nd regional session of the Institut des hautes études de défense nationale has opened in the Hauts-de-France region at the Préfecture de l'Oise in Beauvais. Over a four-week period, 45 students from a wide range of backgrounds will have the opportunity to explore the major strategic challenges of our time, find out how the armed forces operate and get to grips with national defence and security issues, through a programme combining visits to strategic sites, high-level lectures and group work.
Nicolas Roche: "Our country will always prefer a peaceful solution to armed force".
In an interview with IHEDN, Nicolas Roche, Secretary General of the French Ministry of Defence and National Security (SGDSN), details the process for updating the National Strategic Review, published on 14 July.
Transforming India's defence capabilities
This fact sheet looks at the contemporary transformation of India's defence apparatus. It begins by highlighting the constant increase in the country's military budgets and manpower, as well as the desire to develop a local defence industry. It then analyses some of the limits to the transformation underway, and concludes with the prospects for increased militarisation in Asia in the years ahead, in the context of a form of "security dilemma".
the conflict over Kashmir
This fact sheet looks at the continuing conflict between India and Pakistan over control of Kashmir. It begins by reviewing the history of tensions around the geographical area, analyses some of the likely causes of the recent renewal of hostilities, and then concludes by looking at how the confrontation is likely to evolve in the years ahead.
France's space power: assets to become a driving force once again
In a detailed report published this summer, the Institut Montaigne takes stock of the weaknesses and "exceptional expertise" of France and Europe in this area, and makes recommendations for "restoring a truly strategic ambition for space". Interview with its authors, Arthur Sauzay and Raphaël Tavanti.
