International

12 February 2021 International

Kristin Heidebroek 7 min

Margaret Thatcher made a return to popular culture in the Netflix series “The Crown”. Beyond her relationship with the Queen portrayed on the show, Thatcher is best remembered for how […]

9 November 2020 International

Frederic Goeldner 5 min

The USA’s democracy on the brink of collapsing – this was the dire picture experts across both sides of the Atlantic drew in the weeks around the 2020 presidential election. Fear was mounting when Donald Trump categorically refused to concede to his rival Joe Biden, even when the latter pulled ahead of him in several “battleground” states. Who would have ever thought this, but Trump’s favorite TV channel Fox News might be one of the key reasons why it is “game over” for him.

30 September 2020 International

Thomas Rambaud 3 min

“Will you shut up man?”. Probably something that we would never hear during a presidential debate in Europe. No shake-hands (COVID-19) but if they could have done it? I prefer not to think about it. Four years ago, I watched the same debate between Hilary Clinton and Donald Trump. In 2020, we are closer to a “food fight” as the BBC argues, than a debate. After one and a half hours, is there anything interesting to get from? Let’s try.

30 September 2020 International

EU- Logos 18 min

In the past few months, the Eastern Mediterranean became the target of ambitions for various nations. Among them, one well-known protagonist in the international scene is Turkey. This country leads a foreign policy that seems quite clear to many observers. Indeed, Ankara asserts its national interests whatever the means it has to use. The former empire does not refrain to resort to its armies when diplomacy is not sufficient and, so far, it has won. On one hand, Turkey has impeached the Kurds to reach their hope of creating their own state. On the other hand, it is taking advantage of the Libyan crisis by establishing its presence deeper. Hence, Turkey is getting more and more embarrassing for the West as it is spreading its influence in the region, from Erbil to Tripoli. Therefore, this article will try to explain Erdogan’s strategy in the area by examining its policy in Libya and its attitude against Greece, Cyprus and France in Eastern Mediterranean.

18 September 2020 International

Thomas Rambaud 4 min

Depuis plusieurs semaines, les relations diplomatiques entre plusieurs pays membres de l’Union européenne (i.e. Allemagne, Chypre, France, Grèce) et la Turquie se sont durcies. Les déclarations du président Erdogan, accompagnées de celles de ses ministres, attirent l’attention en Méditerranée. La Grèce et la Turquie se disputent certaines îles depuis des décennies (realpolitik oblige, ces dernières étant riches en ressources et situées à quelques mètres du territoire turc). Jamais les relations gréco-turques n’avaient atteint un tel niveau de tensions depuis 1974 et la fin de la guerre opposant Chypre et la Grèce à la Turquie. Comment comprendre ces tensions ? Pourquoi la France intervient-elle et qu’a-t-elle à y gagner ? Que cherche Recep Tayyip Erdogan ? Voici quelques pistes de réflexion.

7 September 2020 International

Eileen Bohringer 8 min

The killing of the Iranian military commander Qassem Soleimani by a United States (US) air strike on 3rd January 2020 marked a new peak in tensions between the US and Iran. Even though the strike constitutes basically an act of war, the European Union’s (EU) reaction was, to put it politely, mild. However, for Europe, essential interests in the region are at stake.