Passage au crible
A short Critical Analysis of International Current Affairs
The intention of the critical analysis reports Passage au crible on international current affairs is to encapsulate and clarify the mechanisms of world affairs. Using a transnational approach, the reports are delivered in a concise and educational format each week proposing:
1) A brief and factual reconstruction of a significant event;
2) Historical context;
3) A theoretical framework which gives the non-specialist, with an interest in international relations, access to an approach which goes further than the simple empirical descriptive approach.
4) A specialist’s analysis;
5) A short bibliography providing key references – official documents, books, articles – by recognised specialists on the matter.
PAC 127 – Socio-political Asymmetry of Economic Cooperation The Dominate Position of Chinese Firms in Algeria
By Moustafa Benberrah
Translation: Lawrence Myers
On April 16, 2015, the city of Constantine was declared the capital of Arab culture for one calendar year. During this time, Constantine will welcome theatrical plays, festivals, symposiums, exhibitions, etc. A budget of seven billion dinars (700 million dollars) is earmarked for the organization of this event. For the occasion, the Algerian Prime Minister Abdelmalek Sellal has initiated several large projects including a cultural hub comprised of a cultural center, an urban library, a museum and galleries, alongside an art and history museum, an exhibition center and a 3,000-seat performance hall…
PAC 126 – The High Seas Victim of Transnational Crime The Sinking of the Poacher Thunder in São Tomé and Principe, April 6, 2015
By Valérie Le Brenne
Translation: Lawrence Myers
Passage au crible n° 126
On April 6, 2015, the Thunder sank in the waters of São Tomé and Principe. Accused of illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing (IUU) and suspected of human trafficking, this vessel flying the Nigerian flag was the subject of a purple notice given by Interpol in 2003. The captain of the Bob Barker – a Sea Shepherd ship launched in pursuit of the poacher more than one hundred days ago – immediately declared that it was a matter of scuttling.
PAC 125 – The Mediterranean, Laboratory of Turbulence Migrant Shipwrecks
By Catherine Wihtol de Wenden
Translation: Lawrence Myers
Passage au crible n° 125
The end of 2014 and the beginning of 2015 were the setting for new migratory catastrophes in the Mediterranean. In the South of the peninsula, the Italian coast guard intercepted two cargo ships, abandoned by the smugglers who had chartered them.
PAC 124 – The Weak Cohesion of the African Union The Election of Robert Mugabe as President
By Philippe Hugon Translation: Lawrence Myers Passage au crible n° 124 Source: Wikimedia The 24th Summit of the AU (African Union) was held in Addis Ababa from January 21-28, 2015. The major issues were related to the “Year of Women’s Empowerment and Development towards Africa’s Agenda 2063”. The question of the Ebola epidemic was addressed with a request for cancellation of debt up to 3 billion US dollars for the three countries concerned: Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone. The Peace and Security Council was held on January 29 with 15 heads of state in attendance, but without the Nigerian President, Good Luck Jonathan. On the authority’s agenda was the fight against terrorism, particularly targeting Boko Haram. Appealing to UN financing, a multinational force of 7,500 was proposed. However, the highlight was the designation of the president of Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe, as the new president of the African Union. At 90 years old, this autocrat in power for 35 years, hero of the fight against Apartheid, increased criticism of the West. His election symbolizes the contradiction of African countries expressing an anti-western Pan-Africanism, despite member states’ inability to deal autonomously with questions related to peace and security or to solve the problem of epidemics. It also testifies to the constancy of gerontocrats, presidents for life, in the face of the African youth seeking their place in the political game and which, in so doing, opposes constitutional manipulations. > Historical background > Theoretical framework > Analysis > References Historical background The African Union reinforced the political integration of Africa by implementing the NEPAD (The New Partnership for the Development of Africa) and the transformation in... read more
PAC 123 – Sony Challenged by a Post-International World The Interview and the North Korean Cyber Attacks
By Alexandre Bohas
Translation: Lawrence Myers
Passage au crible n° 123
Sony, which just filmed and produced The Interview, was recently threatened by terrorist attacks. The film derides the North Korean regime and ends with the assassination of the current president, Kim Jon-un…
PAC 122 – The Radicalization of Russia in the Ukrainian Crisis The Controversial Burden of Political and Economic Sanctions
By Thomas Lindemann
Translation: Lawrence Myers
Passage au crible n° 122
The drastic fall of the Russian ruble, the plunge of energy revenues, the freeze of leaders’ assets held abroad: Russia has already paid a heavy price for the annexation of Crimea…
PAC 121 – The Emergence of a Transnational Citizenship The Umbrella Revolution, September-December 2014
By Justin Chiu
Translation: Lawrence Myers
Passage au crible n°121
On August 31, 2014, China’s National People’s Congress (NPC) adopted a restrictive plan designed to impede the election of an executive leader of Hong Kong in 2017. At the end of September, this decision sparked a significant mobilization of civil…
PAC 120 – The Objective Alliance of Interventionist Liberalism and Realism Operations Sangaris, Serval, Barkhane in the Central African Republic
By Jean-Jacques Roche
Translation: Lawrence Myers
Passage au crible n°120
One year ago, on December 5, 2013, France launched operation Sangaris1 in the Central African Republic, its 7th since the African nation’s independence in 1960. The French army arrived in Bangui with the mission to remove the militiamen of the Seleka…
PAC 119 – Individual Dynamics in the face of Climate Change Popular mobilization for the climate, September 21, 2014
By Weiting Chao
Translation: Lawrence Myers
Passage au crible n°119
On September 21, 2014, hundreds of thousands of people protested in major cities around the world in favor of the fight against global warming. Led primarily by the NGO Avaaz-Le Monde en Action…
PAC 118 – The Illusory Confinement of a Health Crisis The Ebola epidemic in West Africa
By Clément Paule
Translation: Lawrence Myers
Passage au crible n°118
The first Ebola virus contamination outside the African continent was confirmed on October 6, 2014: a Spanish nurse’s aid supposedly contracted the illness in Madrid while treating a repatriated missionary…
PAC 117 – An Inadequate Neopatrimonialism The Overthrow of President Blaise Compaoré in Burkina Faso
By Philippe Hugon
Translation: Lawrence Myers
Passage au crible n°117
At the end of October 2014, in Burkina Faso, youth movements led to the departure of the president for life Blaise Compaoré, in power since 1987…
PAC 116 – A Global Marketing Ceremony The live presentation of the iPhone 6, September 9, 2014
By Justin Chiu
Translation: Lawrence Myers
Passage au crible n°116
On September 9, 2014, high-tech journalists from around the globe as well as the general press gathered at the Flint Center in Cupertino to attend the presentation of the iPhone 6…
PAC 115 – The Confirmation of a Humanist Orthodoxy The French Writer, Patrick Modiano, Nobel Laureate for Literature
By Josepha Laroche
Translation: Lawrence Myers
Passage au crible n°115
On October 10, 2014, the Swedish Academy awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature to the French writer Patrick Modiano. After J.M.G. Le Clézio, who obtained the award in 2008, this author…
PAC 114 – Hegemonic Use of Law and Money BNP Paris Sanctioned by the American Justice System
By Yves Poirmeur
Translation: Lawrence Myers
Passage au crible n°114
On June 3, 2014, BNP Paribas concluded a final agreement with the American justice system. Whereby, after having pled guilty, it accepted to pay an 8.834 billion dollar fine (6.5 billion euros)…
PAC 113 – Biodiversity Threatened by the Market The 65th Meeting of the International Whaling Commission, Portorož, September 11-18, 2014
By Valérie Le Brenne Translation: Lawrence Myers
From September 11-18, 2014, the IWC (International Whaling Commission) convened in Portorož, Slovenia for its 65th biannual meeting. During this gathering which brought together nearly 90 states…
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PAC 112 – Controversial Development Diplomacy The Global Partnership for Effective Development Co-operation
By Florent Bédécarrats* Translation: Lawrence Myers
On April 15-16, 2014, Mexico hosted the meeting of the Global Partnership for Effective Development Co-operation, the fruit of an OECD initiative…
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PAC 111 – FIFA’s Sovereign Intrusion The World Cup in Brazil (June 12-July 13, 2014)
By Élie Landrieu Translation: Lawrence Myers
While the 20th edition of the World Cup will be held in Brazil between June 12-July 13, 2014, the institution in charge of its organization, FIFA (Fédération Internationale de Football Association)…
read morePAC 110 – The Normative Coercion of Rating Agencies The Lowering of Argentina’s Sovereign Ranking by Moody’s
By Elie Landrieu
Translation: Lawrence Myers
Passage au crible n°110
On March 17, 2014, the rating agency Moody’s lowered the score of securities issued by the Argentine state onto financial markets to “Caa1”. It qualified the nation’s risk of defaulting on payment as “very high”…
PAC 109 – Oceans, Menaced Public Goods The Banning of Pulse Trawling in Europe in an Institutional Impasse
By Florian Hévelin Translation: Lawrence Myers
On January 30, 2014, the fishing fleet of the French group Intermarché – Scapêche – committed itself to no longer plunge its nets beyond 800 meters depth…
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PAC 108 – A Cooperative Rivalry The Failure to Mediate between Apple and Samsung
By Adrien Cherqui
Translation: Lawrence Myers
Passage au crible n°108
February 19, 2014, marked the end of mediation between Apple and Samsung Mobile Communications during which the directors were supposed to negotiate an agreement. Let us recall that the attempt…
PAC 107 – The Protection of Intellectual Property as a Monopolistic Weapon The Sale by Google of Motorola Mobility to Lenovo
By Robin Baraud Translation: Lawrence Myers
On Wednesday, January 29, 2014, Google announced the sale of Motorola to Lenovo for only 2.91 billion dollars, while the group had acquired it in 2012 for 12.5 billion. This resale of a pioneer of mobile…
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PAC 106 – The Global Restructuring of the PC Industry Microsoft’s Forced Restart
By Justin Chui
Translation: Lawrence Myers
Passage au crible n°106
On February 4, 2014, Satya Nadella succeeds Steve Ballmer and thus becomes the third general manager of the American giant Microsoft. As for the group’s founder, Bill Gates, he is leaving his position …
PAC 105 – The Disinvestment of Public Health Investors World Aids Day
By Michaël Cousin
Translation: Lawrence Myers
Passage au crible n°105
Since 1988, World AIDS Day is observed every year on December 1st. Upon the occasion of this event, public and private stakeholders publish, inform and mediatize the latest…
PAC 104 – A Discredited Organization Between Denial and Impunity The United Nations Facing the Cholera Epidemic in Haiti since October 2010
By Clément Paule
Translation: Lawrence Myers
Passage au crible n°104
On January 12, 2014, the Republic of Haiti commemorated the fourth anniversary of the destructive earthquake that devastated the metropolitan area of Port-au-Prince and the immediate surrounding region…
PAC 103 – The Transnational Subversion of Whistleblowers The Loyalties of Edward Snowden, a Paradigmatic Case
By Adrien Cherqui
Translation: Lawrence Myers
Passage au crible n°103
According to the files of the NSA (National Security Agency) revealed by Edward Snowden in July 2013, more than two billion emails and phone calls from Brazil were allegedly intercepted by the United States for a period..
