Multilateralism is now in crisis
Multilateralism is failing to provide solutions to the various current crises. This situation has become even more acute since the outbreak of war in Ukraine. These are the findings of Jean-Vincent Holeindre and Julian Fernandez in their book, Nations désunies? The book brings together leading specialists in multilateralism to shed light on the various factors behind the decline of this central phenomenon in international relations.
Pierre Vimont: "Multilateralism must be reinvented".
Until the outbreak of war in Ukraine, Pierre Vimont was the French President's "special representative" in Russia. A witness to the collapse of the multilateralism created in 1945, he points to the inability of the major powers to take account of the agenda of those that have emerged: "the major global priorities (such as the climate, energy and food crises) require non-Western countries to be integrated into multilateralism".
Justin Vaïsse: "Geopolitics is slowly killing global governance".
At a time when the demise of multilateralism is being heralded, it is reappearing in new forms, involving new players, such as the Conferences of the Parties (COPs) and the Paris Peace Forum. In November, this forum brought together nearly 5,000 players in global governance. Justin Vaïsse, its founder and Managing Director, gives us his views on these new frameworks for international cooperation.
E. Chiva: "The Directorate General for Armaments must shed light on the future".
Emmanuel Chiva, appointed Delegate General for Armaments this summer, gave his views on the major issues facing the sector in the current context at the IHEDN on 13 October. Recalling the origins and missions of the French Defence Procurement Agency (DGA), Emmanuel Chiva details the threats and challenges ahead. "We have to invest in multiple fields", he explains, citing the technological breakthroughs that are set to become geostrategic breakthroughs.
"The EU's relationship with power is being turned upside down".
"To arms, Europeans! This is the title of the article by Pierre Haroche, a specialist in European Union (EU) defence policy, published in the 3e Rubicon volume, "The European and transatlantic awakening". In support of this observation, the researcher recalls the means implemented in recent years to strengthen European security, and puts forward concrete proposals. In the light of recent events, he returns to these essential themes at the strategic debate organised by the IHEDN on 15 November.
What is a just war?
On Friday 11 November, Lt-Gen Benoît Durieux, Director of the IHEDN, and Mgr de Romanet, Bishop of the French Armed Forces, discussed a concept that is still relevant today, formalised as far back as Antiquity and brought to light once again by the tragedy of the war in Ukraine. Beyond what religions preach, and which states should put into practice, is there a way to avoid resorting to this form of exacerbated violence? In an age of new forms of conflict, from information warfare to cyber and hybrid warfare, what can be said about the relevance of this concept?
Maritime spaces faced with the triptych of competition-contestation-clash.
In October 2021, General Burkhard, Chief of the Defence Staff, presented his "strategic vision". He warned of a profound change in the strategic context, in which the notion of conflict is becoming more complex, diffuse and permanent: "Conflicts used to be based on a 'peace-crisis-war' model. Nowadays, it's more like a triptych of 'competition-contestation-clash' (...). Through this analysis, General Burkhard points to the need to adapt our defence tools to forms of conflict that break with the model for which our armies were calibrated.
Because of their specific nature and growing importance, maritime areas are at the forefront of this new dynamic of power relations, where a multitude of players are using hybrid strategies to upset existing balances, without necessarily resorting to open conflict.
Lt-Gen Benoît Durieux: "Total war forbids any subsequent peace".
Total war is a very topical issue, yet it is a poorly defined concept: absolute war, high-intensity war, major war... Lieutenant General Benoît Durieux, Director of the IHEDN, gives a definition and a few ideas to help us understand it better.
Jean Peeters :
"cybersecurity, far from being a given, must remain an objective".
For many users, digital technology may seem like a virtual world, but the fact remains that it is based on a material layer, with infrastructures that are often cross-border. Jean Peeters, holder of the Cyber and Digital Sovereignty Chair at the IHEDN, deciphers the European Commission's recommendations in the regulatory and legislative fields to strengthen [...].
Alexandra Goujon: "Ukraine, between subject and object of History".
For its first strategic debate since the start of the academic year, the IHEDN has chosen a topical subject: Ukraine. Alexandra Goujon is the author of Ukraine from independence to warpublished by Le Cavalier bleu, in the Idées reçues collection. The gist of his talk is based on 5 received ideas.
