Diplomacy

Almost a year after the December 2024 fall of former President Bashar al-Assad, Syrians on October 5 took part in their first parliamentary vote—a symbolic milestone for a nation emerging from years of war and authoritarian rule. Rather than a direct popular election, the process followed an indirect model: about 7,000 members of regional electoral colleges cast ballots to choose two-thirds of the 210 seats in parliament. The remaining one-third will be appointed directly by Preside ...

This policy paper examines digital colonialism as a defining structural challenge of the twenty-first century and argues for the urgent pursuit of digital sovereignty in the Global South. While digitalization holds immense potential to foster inclusion and bridge development gaps, current dynamics reproduce historical patterns of dependency: data is extracted from Southern populations, routed through infrastructures owned by Northern corporations, processed by algorithms trained on ...

L’autrice de cette opinion, Patricia Ahanda, est une alumna du programme Atlantic Dialogues Emerging Leaders 2018. Cette opinion a été publiée initialement sur patriciaahanda.paris Dans un monde marqué par l’émergence d’une instabilité géopolitique globale, par la non-linéarité et l’imprévisibilité croissante des rapports de force, le Maroc s’impose comme un leader pivot du Sud global. Un acteur incontournable capable de relier continents, blocs et cultures dans un mo ...

This Policy Paper analyzes Jacob Zuma’s July 2025 visit to Morocco as a revealing episode in the reconfiguration of South African foreign policy. Far from being mere protocol issue, the event activated multiple registers of mobilization—anti-apartheid legacy, territorial integrity, and diplomatic coherence—while shifting a dossier long confined to elites into the public sphere. Drawing on a corpus of 2,200 posts on X, and 20 South African press articles, the study shows that the con ...

This policy brief analyzes the first 100 days in office of Chancellor Friedrich Merz, which have been marked by an assertive foreign policy, ambitious security reforms, and a shift toward economic pragmatism. Merz has sought to reestablish Germany as a ‘leading middle power’, emphasizing closer European coordination, renewed transatlantic engagement, and unwavering support for Ukraine. However, his approach to the Gaza conflict, characterized by alignment with U.S. positions and rel ...

Ce Policy Paper analyse la visite de Jacob Zuma au Maroc en juillet 2025 comme un épisode révélateur des recompositions de la politique étrangère sud-africaine. Loin d’une simple question de protocole, l’événement a activé des registres de mobilisation multiples — fidélité à l’héritage anti-apartheid, intégrité territoriale, cohérence diplomatique et a déplacé un dossier longtemps confiné aux élites vers l’espace public. À partir d’un corpus de 2 200 publications sur X et de 20 arti ...

In 2019 - well before the onslaught of COVID-19 and the wars in Europe and the Middle East - the central thesis of a policy paper by this author, analyzing the relationship between Africa and the Caribbean, characterized it as one of missed opportunity due to the lack of consistent, meaningful engagement between the two regions - despite the relationship’s special significance given their shared history. Underinvested: The Caribbean African Relationship (PCNS 2019) chronicled the li ...

Dans un contexte international en recomposition, et à l’instar des autres membres permanents du Conseil de sécurité des Nations Unies (États-Unis, France, Royaume-Uni), la Chine et la Russie réévaluent leurs positionnements respectifs sur le dossier du Sahara marocain, longtemps relégué à la périphérie de leurs priorités. À travers une lecture croisée des dynamiques historiques, des échanges bilatéraux avec le Maroc et des interactions dans les enceintes multilatérales, notamment à ...

The history of relations between the West and East Asia is deeply rooted in fear, dating back to the 13th century when Mongol hordes swept from Central Asia into the European steppes. This civilizational neurosis took root in the European imagination and has since shaped Western perceptions of the East. The derogatory racial metaphor “Yellow Peril”, which emerged in the late 19th century, was not a new invention but rather a recurring theme invoked whenever politically expedient. It ...

This article was written by an external contributor. The author is not affiliated with the Policy Center for the New South, and the views expressed herein are solely those of the author. The Liberal International Order (LIO), established in the aftermath of WWII, is now facing unprecedented challenges. Though the main proponent of this same Order, the United States under Donald Trump has turned against traditional allies and is actively seeking to undermine the v ...

As the ‘Western Sahara Conflict’, rather a dispute, because in 1975 the Sahara sovereignty was disputed by Morocco, Mauritania and the Polisario, dates back to 1975, so its international legal consideration relates to the Declaration of Principles on Western Sahara by Spain, Morocco and Mauritania (Madrid Accord), concluded in 1975 among Spain, Morocco and Mauritania for decolonizing ‘Western Sahara.’Here, the term Western Sahara is not geopolitically neutral in the context of ...

L’année 2024 a coïncidé avec la célébration du 75e anniversaire de la fondation de la République populaire de Chine, étape clé dans la réalisation des objectifs fixés par le 14e Plan quinquennal. Dans ce contexte, les Deux sessions annuelles 2025 du Parlement chinois – celle de l'Assemblée populaire nationale (APN), organe législatif suprême, et du Comité national de la Conférence consultative politique du peuple chinois (CCPPC), organe consultatif - ont retenu l’attention ...

Global governance is undergoing a profound transformation, marked by growing polarization, the weakening of multilateral institutions, and the rise of informal, flexible frameworks. As great powers drift from multilateral commitments, and instead prioritize transactional or unilateral actions, middle powers are emerging as key actors in shaping the future of global governance. These countries, ranging from Brazil and South Africa to Poland, Türkiye, and South Korea, navigate the in ...

This Policy Brief explores the potential evolution of the United Nations’ stance on the Moroccan Sahara issue in light of recent diplomatic developments. It builds on the reaffirmed U.S. support for Morocco's proposed Autonomy Plan, which has played a key role in broadening international consensus in favor of a pragmatic resolution. Despite positive signs within the Security Council, the UN-led process remains stalled, largely due to persistent divisions among member states and th ...

The first hundred days of Donald Trump's presidency have again demonstrated his capacity to defy convention and polarize opinion. Far from merely repeating his earlier administration, this new chapter is best understood as part of a long-term repositioning of the United States within a rapidly shifting international system—one where American primacy is no longer assumed but increasingly contested. On the domestic front, Trump's agenda has been marked by political calculation and a ...

Ce Policy Brief examine les perspectives d’évolution de la position des Nations Unies sur le dossier du Sahara marocain à la lumière des récentes dynamiques diplomatiques. Il s’appuie sur la réaffirmation du soutien américain au Plan d’autonomie proposé par le Maroc, qui a contribué à élargir un consensus international en faveur d’une solution pragmatique. Malgré des signes positifs au sein du Conseil de sécurité, le processus onusien demeure bloqué, notamment en raison de divisions ...

L’ouvrage de Matsumoto Shoji, professeur spécialisé en droit africain comparé et en droit international, est une étude approfondie sur la question du Sahara et ses enjeux juridiques, politiques et diplomatiques. S’appuyant sur une analyse rigoureuse des normes du droit international, des accords passés et des dynamiques régionales, l’auteur met en lumière l’importance de la souveraineté marocaine dans un conflit marqué par des interprétations divergentes de concepts tels que l’autod ...

In his thought-provoking book, The Sahara Conflict and International Law: Reviewing the Legal Debate from an Integrated Perspective, Pr. Matsumoto Shoji embarks on an ambitious project to dissect the Sahara conflict through the lens of international law, regional politics, and global diplomacy. As a seasoned expert in comparative African law and international legal systems, Matsumoto brings a wealth of expertise to an issue that has long been a flashpoint in North African geopolitic ...

The autonomy proposal put forward by Morocco in April 2007 as the unique basis for settling the dispute over the Moroccan Sahara is gradually gaining international recognition. Although rejected by Algeria and the polisario, the Initiative has enjoyed broad international support since its launch, particularly from the United States and France, who have reaffirmed their support for Moroccan sovereignty over the Sahara region. On April 8, 2025, the United States reiterated its positio ...

La proposition d’autonomie, avancée par le Maroc en avril 2007 comme base de règlement du différend autour du Sahara marocain, s’impose progressivement sur la scène internationale. Bien qu’elle soit rejetée par l’Algérie et le polisario, cette Initiative a bénéficié, depuis son lancement, d’un large soutien international, en particulier de la part des États-Unis et de la France, qui ont réaffirmé leur appui à la souveraineté marocaine sur cette région. Le 8 avril 2025 ...

L'Algérie post-2019 représente une phase complexe de son histoire, marquée par d'importants enjeux politiques, sociaux et économiques. Le mouvement populaire du « Hirak », déclenché en février 2019, a émergé en réponse à la crise politique provoquée par le désir du président Abdelaziz Bouteflika de briguer un cinquième mandat. Ce soulèvement a exigé des réformes profondes dans la gouvernance, dénonçant le modèle militaire hérité de la guerre d'indépendance et ...