Politica estera

La Constitution de la cinquième République, adoptée il y a près de 60 ans, confère un rôle prééminent au Président de la République en matière de politique étrangère. Non seulement le chef de l’Etat est-il chargé de négocier et ratifier les traités, mais de surcroît, il se trouve à la tête des armées. La pratique a renforcé cette prééminence, si bien que l’action extérieure est souvent présentée comme le « domaine réservé » du Président.

Japan’s (relatively) new government is arguably doing (much) better than its critics inside and outside of Japan anticipated when the Liberal-Democratic Party (LDP) Prime Minister Shinzo Abe took over power last December.

The palpable insecurity about Italy’s status in American foreign policy calculations, despite Italy’s status as a member of the G-8, its historically critical role in shaping the trajectory of European integration and not insignificant contributions to military operations in Afghanistan and Libya, has been heightened with the reelection of President Barack Obama and the uncertain outcome of the Italian parliamentary elections at the end of February.

The election of the Muslim Brotherhood candidate, Mohammed Morsi, as Egypt's first civilian elected President in June 2012, does not seem to bring Egypt's transition to an end. Morsi is challenged for two main reasons: one is what he has done since he was elected President, which has unleashed the criticism of non-Islamist forces who accuse him of “Ekhwanizing” the state, silencing his critics, and firmly consolidating a new autocracy of a religiously ideological nature. Second is the challenge in searching for a new foreign policy posture and seeking a reinvigorated regional role.

Most of the US public opinion generally remembers the 80s as a successful decade, characterized by a great economic recovery and the victory in the Cold War at the expense of the Soviet Union. Those years came after the uncertain 70s, when the American weakness was particularly visible. Many authors use to describe the then-President, Ronald Reagan, as the leading “actor” of that patriotic renaissance. More than thirty years on, the ghost of the US decline is back.