Since the end of the Cold War, an idea has emerged to explain the tensions of the world: that of a clash between civilizations. An idea popularized by the American Samuel Huntington, suggesting that conflicts are no longer ideological or territorial, but rather cultural, religious, and almost identity-based.
The perspective on the Middle East is particularly interesting as we witness the gradual disintegration of contemporary Arab-Muslim civilizations embodied by Iraq, Syria, and potentially Egypt. This disintegration, described by some as one of the major geopolitical tragedies of the 21st century, challenges the sustainability of these cradles of humanity. Alongside the disintegration, there is also escalation. Since the Hamas attack on October 7, 2023, and the Israeli response, the fire has not stopped in the Middle East. Almost total destruction of Gaza. Now Southern Lebanon, along with the Israeli-American attack on Iran. This situation is closely monitored by Turkey, which celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2023 and whose civilizational narrative is particularly developed. Civilizational paradigms are on the rise worldwide, with increased competition for hegemonic power. Nostalgia for the empire. Critique of modernity.
A program in partnership with INALCO, the National Institute of Languages and Eastern Civilizations and its DECRIPT program focusing on the transformations of the international system and the political and institutional effects of these civilizational narratives that have emerged on the global stage.
Invited guests: – Sophia Mahroug, associate professor at Sorbonne University Abu Dhabi, specialist in contemporary Iran and the Revolutionary Guards. – Lætitia Bucaille, professor of political sociology at INALCO, researcher at the Center for Studies on African, American, and Asian worlds, and senior member of the University Institute of France. Her latest work “Gaza, quel avenir?” in the Essays collection at Stock. – Jan-Markus Vämel, historian. Specialist in modern Turkey and specifically Turkish Islamism. Postdoctoral researcher on the Near and Middle East of the DECRIPT research program at INALCO.
