Geopolitician and essayist Frédéric Encel analyzes the repercussions of the new shockwave shaking the Middle East after the fall of the Assad regime in Syria and the rise to power of an Islamist coalition led by Abu Mohammed al-Joulani, a former figure of ISIS and al-Qaeda.
The revolution is underway in Damascus. Once again, in the Arab world, history takes a dramatic turn, and the Syrian people hold their breath. Bashar al-Assad has fled the country, and Islamists have seized power. What lies ahead? The battalions led by Abu Mohammed al-Joulani, a former jihadist of ISIS and then al-Qaeda – whom he allegedly parted ways with in 2016 – thank Allah from the Umayyad Mosque in Damascus, a radiant symbol of Sunni Islam. These images will go down in history, though no one knows how it will unfold.
Chloé Morin, a political scientist and essayist, served as the director of the Opinion Observatory at the Jean Jaurès Foundation (2017-2020) and was an advisor to two left-wing Prime Ministers, Jean-Marc Ayrault and Manuel Valls (2012-2016). She is the author of several essays, including “The Unmovables of the Republic: You Will Never See Them, but They Govern” (Éditions de l’Aube, 2020), “Populism to the Rescue of Democracy?” (Gallimard, 2021), and “We Get the Politicians We Deserve” (Fayard, 2022). In this interview, she analyzes the consequences of the censure of Michel Barnier’s government.
Kamel Daoud should have won the Goncourt Prize in 2014. That year, his debut novel (“Meursault, contre-enquête,” Actes Sud) was the favorite. Legend has it that he was edged out by “Pas pleurer” by Lydie Salvayre, thanks to a vote (opposed to Daoud) from Tahar Ben Jelloun, a Goncourt jury member and the only North African writer to have won the prize, in 1987, for “La nuit sacrée” (Seuil).
“I love you Elon!” Upon hearing of his victory, Trump immediately thanked the “amazing” Musk, calling him a “genius” and a “star.” The world’s richest man, head of Tesla and SpaceX, has indeed played a major role in the return of the populist American president, funding his campaign (with at least $120 million) and offering his social media platform X (formerly Twitter) to support him.
Former editor-in-chief of Spectacle du Monde, Gérald Olivier is a keen observer of American politics. He is the author of Sur la route de la Maison-Blanche : le dictionnaire des élections présidentielles américaines (Jean Picollec Éditeur, 2020). In this interview, he analyzes the repercussions of Donald Trump’s reelection for the United States and the rest of the world.
Since the announcement of the first results of the U.S. presidential election, videos posted on TikTok, where users film themselves either exulting or bursting into tears, have become ubiquitous. It must be said that social media platforms (Instagram, TikTok, and X, formerly Twitter) played a crucial role in the race for the U.S. presidency.
More than just an electoral victory, it is a landslide victory that places Donald Trump back at the top of the world. Moreover, it grants him unprecedented powers that no other American president has ever held. On January 20th, the egocentric billionaire, with a personality as colorful as his famous orange hair, will not only reclaim the keys to the White House. His administration, the 47th of its kind, will also have the support of the majority in both chambers of Congress. It will also count on the backing of the Supreme Court, which he had shaped with conservative appointments at the end of his first term (2017-2021).
Are the democratic values championed by Europe and the United States destined to fall under the expansionist fury of Eastern autocrats like Khamenei, Putin, Xi Jinping, and Erdogan? Jean-François Colosimo, author of “The West, Global Enemy No. 1” (Albin Michel), and Amin Maalouf, who examines the roots of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine in “The Maze of the Lost: The West and its Adversaries” (Grasset), prompt a necessary reflection on this topic.
