Books & ideas

Peace, prosperity, petroleum

Louis Fagon — 2026-06-23T07:04:14Z

The intensive use of carbon energies has brought prosperity, particularly since 1945, along with relatively peaceful international relations. Decarbonation makes it necessary, according to Pierre Charbonnier, to invent a new form of geopolitics.

Argentina's complex origins

Gonzague Espinosa-Dassonneville — 2026-06-11T16:11:59Z

Could Argentina, instead of being the modern country we know, have developed into fourteen independent states engaged in never-ending competition? From the “disunited province” of Rio de la Plata to the affirmation of a single nation-state, a new book describes a quest for unity that lasted five decades.
Reviewed: Geneviève Verdo, Des peuples en mal d'union. Aux origines de l'Argentine (Peoples without unity: The origins of Argentina) Paris Flammarion, 2025.

Plato Banned, American Democracy Threatened

Nathan Bracher — 2026-02-24T08:00:00Z

Not only in Texas, where a professor was ordered to remove Plato from his syllabus, but throughout the United States, ideological dictatorship has begun. It amounts to nothing less than an attack on universities, the freedom of speech, and thought. How is it possible to resist in the face of this onslaught?

On democratic backsliding in Israel

Bruno Cousin — 2026-01-02T08:00:00Z

In their recent research about Israeli politics, Noam Gidron and his coauthors explore the country's affective polarization, the support for the judicial overhaul, Likud's populism, and the relations between them.

Expanding International Bureaucracy

Marieke Louis — 2025-11-14T10:40:11Z

As multilateral cooperation is increasingly under attack, Katerina Linos challenges certain misperceptions about the role of international institutions, particularly the European Union, and emphasizes their capacity for action in times of multiple crises.

In the time of disaster

Sylvain Dufraisse — 2025-09-23T06:30:00Z

Laurent Coumel has written a wonderful essay on the social history of the late Soviet Union. He shows how Soviet society was subject to the same dynamics as western European society: the rise of individualism, leisure, and the desire for comfort.

The Urban Condition of Muslims in India

Jules Naudet — 2025-09-12T09:03:01Z

According to Thomas Blom Hansen, Indian cities have become spaces of exclusion, fear, and sharpened enmity. He describes how Muslims are victims of an entanglement of communal violence, state complicity, and systemic discrimination.

Macron and the sex thieves

Julien Bonhomme — 2025-06-10T07:00:00Z

A rumour is circulating in some African countries: the French state is organising penis thefts to offset declining fertility. The rumour, spread by Russian propaganda, has become fake news.

Empowering Marginalized Youth

Editorial Team — 2025-05-30T06:57:14Z

As a professor of education, Bianca Baldridge highlights the importance of extracurricular programs for young people, and the lack of social recognition enjoyed by community-based educators.

Art for Justice

Raluca Enescu — 2025-05-20T06:05:42Z

International Criminal Court judges process hundreds of pieces of evidence before rendering their verdict. Artwork-tools cut through the maze of data, providing an essential artistic and visual support for the administration of justice.