Politique étrangère

The First World War had tragic consequences for the Middle-East. It led to the partitioning of the Ottoman Empire and the balkanization of the region. 

There are some disturbing similarities between present-day Asia and pre-1914 Europe.

Germany’s responsibility in the two global conflicts reflects, among other things, the German military’s desire to free itself from political control and the depth to which the Wehrmacht was immersed into Nazi ideology and a Nazi state whose orders it never really contested.

The increasing militarism prior to the Great War had its roots in national beliefs and ideologies constructed during the 19^th century in European countries.

The first wave of globalization in the 20^th century triggered deep upheaval of the organization of power and an overall depreciation of European nations.

The criticism leveled by Americans at Europe’s neglect of its commitment to defense is not new, and is often exaggerated.

Beginning in the 1970s, becoming solidified with the “peace dividends” in the 1990s and finally accelerated by the financial crisis of 2008, Europe’s demilitarization is undeniable.