Security Watch: What implications does the Niger coup d’état have for the Sahel?

On Wednesday 26 July, the head of Niger’s presidential guard, General Abdourahamane Tchiani, proclaimed himself head of state following a military pronunciamiento. By this time, the elected president, Mohamed Bazoum, from Niger’s Arab ethnic minority, was sequestered and removed from his presidential palace. This power grab risks upsetting the security and geopolitical balance in the Sahel, which has already been weakened by terrorist movements and the arrival of the Russian armed group Wagner.

The Second Voice: Why are the French Feminists so Divided Compared to the Turkish’s Ones?

In light of the revolutionary mobilization of Turkish feminists regarding the imprisonment of Çilem Doğan for the murder of her violent husband, French feminist collectives seem shy, divided, and torn by a partisan dynamic which damages the universal fight against violence against women.

(Analysis) European Political Community: The French Approach Towards Greater Europe

Increasing security threats and a lack of coordination between European states proved the need to establish a new platform to discuss strategic issues and maintain high-level dialogue between heads of states. It gave a new impetus to the old ideas of Great Europe that were developed in France, namely by Francois Mitterand. Emmanuel Macron has brought this idea back by proposing a European Political Community, which has faced a lot of criticism already. Even so, it can have some substantial benefits for European politics and contribute to shaping the European security order.

[ANALYSIS] Japan-France Bilateral Partnership: What Future Direction for Strategic and Non-Traditional Security Cooperation?

France and Japan have long maintained close political and economic ties. Growing competition from China on the economic and security fronts, coupled with the increasing concern over the effects of climate change, requires France and Japan, two nations in the Indo-Pacific region and members of the G7, to leverage their cooperation to safeguard peace and stability of this maritime zone.

France’s Anti-Covid Strategy: Compulsory Health Passes, Mandatory Vaccination, and Limitations on Human Rights

France’s anti-Covid strategy is heating the debate around mandatory vaccination. Are Covid-19 vaccine mandates violating human rights? Or are they justifiable and necessary to meet a pressing social need?

Breeding Grounds for Religious Extremism: Isolationism vs. Multiculturalism

Religious extremism has been at the forefront of recent political developments worldwide. While it is difficult to pinpoint one specific cause for this trend, there are some similarities across the board that can offer some insight.

[REPORT] France Between Je Suis Charlie and Terrorist Threats

France has been one of the European countries with the biggest number of Islamic terrorist attacks perpetrated by young people, usually of the second generation of immigrant people, who were recruited by the Islamic State (IS). There are many prominent factors that have played an influential role in the launching of these attacks, including the historical relation and colonisation of Middle Eastern countries, socio-economic estrangement, France’s secularism and its cultural diversity.