By Jean-Sylvestre MONGRENIER, Researche Fellow at the Thomas More Institute | Tribune N°34 | Available in French

During the past decade, a non-ideological and mercantile view of Russia has tended to prevail. In the energy field as in the relationship between Russia and its partners, the ultimate purpose was supposed to be maximal prices and the enrichment of the “capitalist bureaucrats” who run and own the country. However, the various crises that have opposed the Russian rulers to their Central and Eastern European neighbors brought to light logics of power that cannot be reduced to a sole economic interest. The rhetoric of Derjava, i.e. state and military power, has raised again most strongly. The energy resources are used (...)

By Jean-Sylvestre MONGRENIER, Researche Fellow at the Thomas More Institute | Published in Le Temps (Switzerland) | Available in French

Le conflit relatif aux ambitions nucléaires iraniennes n’en finit pas, laissant redouter que le pire n’advienne. C’est à Istanbul, le samedi 14 avril, que se tiendra le prochain round diplomatique. L’événement entre en résonance avec la volonté turque, il y a peu encore, de jouer les «honnêtes courtiers» entre l’Occident et le régime iranien, voire de se poser en puissance tierce. Las. Confrontée à un difficile environnement géopolitique, la Turquie doit consolider ses alliances à l’Ouest. Assiste-t-on à l’éternel retour du Même?

La conquête du pouvoir par (...)

La Russie serait actuellement en train de mettre en place un "plan d'action" en cas d'attaque occidentale contre l'Iran. En cas d'explosion d'un conflit avec l'Iran, la Russie pourrait-elle intervenir militairement ?

Nonobstant le discours du « reset » (...)

By Jean-Sylvestre MONGRENIER, research Fellow at the Thomas More Institute | Available in French

The Euro-Atlantic Community is a group of nations gathered within the European Union and NATO. This Western ensemble forms a “Great Space” with land, maritime and airspace dimensions.  The Euro-Atlantic Community and its State members are involved in a strategy of enlargement Eastwards and look for a path to a Russian partnership without any soft attitude. At the crossroads of Europe, Eurasia and the Middle East, Turkey is a very much important ally and the relationship with it must be renewed. Upon their southern “limes” and beyond, in the Mediterranean Basin and Middle-East, the Western powers must reinforce their presence (...)

Thomas More Institute Meeting | Thursday, March 8th , 2012 9am-18pm | Paris (Maison de la Chimie)

The fight against the illegal transfer of conventional weapons, notably by sea, is now recognized as one of the main axes of effort for the international community on arms regulation. Negotiations shall take place on the draft on the Arms Trade Treaty (TCA/ATT), which many actors hope will lead in 2012.

This is the reason why the Thomas More Institute, a European and independent think tank, and Securymind, a consultancy on protection strategy, joined forces to organize on March 8th, 2012, a high-level seminar on these majors issues, with the support of the Délégation aux Affaires stratégiques of the French Defence Ministry. (...)