Telos - Agence Intellectuelle

The words of Putinism

Kristian Feigelson — Fri, 29 May 2026 15:34:29 +0000

Two books have just been published in quick succession to help us decipher the language of Putinism. Michel Niqueux, a Russian translator and Professor Emeritus of Russian Literature and Civilization at the University of Caen, offers a Vocabulaire du poutinisme (Vocabulary of Putinism, Éditions À l’Est de Brest-Litovsk, 2025). While this work builds on his broader reflections on Russia, it stands apart through its concise style aimed at the general public. The other publication is Louis Arcueil’s Au nom du père (In the Name of the Father, Éditions Tourgueneff, 2026). It places Putin’s words into a broader theoretical framework. In the tradition of new Russian despotism, this time Putin appears as a paradoxical figure, though not entirely unprecedented.

Why Russia never abides by agreements with its neighbors

Julien Arnoult — Tue, 19 May 2026 14:49:40 +0000

Since 2022 and the beginning of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine, efforts to negotiate a truce, a ceasefire, an armistice, or a peace settlement have multiplied. Yet none of these initiatives can be taken seriously—not because peace is ever eternal, but because Russia assigns no value to it, owing to a dual political and historical dynamic. First, Russia respects only great powers and the agreements it enters into with them. It relentlessly seeks to be recognized as one itself. Second, it subjugates its weaker neighbors, whom it regards as prey to be devoured and whose sovereignty it fundamentally does not recognize. It systematically undermines their independence and violates any agreement it has signed as soon as any aspect turns unfavorable.

Protecting children’s minds: what the Digital Fairness Act must name

Chayma Drira — Tue, 12 May 2026 05:02:04 +0000

Attentional digital architectures deployed on minors can lead them to die. Europe has the cases, the reports, the legal texts. What it lacks is the doctrine that names the fundamental good these architectures impair. The Digital Fairness Act, which the Commission will table in the fourth quarter of 2026, is its last window to formulate it

Europe and the Choice of the Next United Nations Secretary-General

Reinhold Brender — Tue, 07 Apr 2026 12:41:17 +0000

The Secretary-General is the last universally mandated individual voice to demand that power answer to law. If that voice falls silent, it will not be the law that failed the world, but the states that failed the law.

“Ultimately, the Government Gets to Choose the Message it Wants to Convey”

Mark Kesselman — Fri, 06 Mar 2026 10:50:28 +0000

President Donald Trump’s daily barrage of tweets, posts, and interviews may appear contradictory and chaotic. However, all reflect Trump’s core motivations: to increase his own notoriety, status, power, and wealth; as well as to achieve his far-right ideological project. Attempts by Trump and his epigones to control popular and official narratives regarding this dual agenda aim to shape Americans’ perceptions and beliefs regarding Trump and the character of the United States will help reshape the underlying material reality.

Despotism in America

Mark Kesselman — Wed, 28 Jan 2026 07:37:40 +0000

As July 4, 2026, approaches, the United States will both celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence and experience its gravest political crisis since the Civil War. In barely a year since Donald J. Trump regained power, he and his allies have brazenly violated centuries-old Constitutional dictates, laws, and norms with impunity. How could he have accomplished this unprecedented feat so quickly and with so little resistance?

Playing the long game: China’s space strategy

Fiona Wood — Fri, 05 Dec 2025 09:46:00 +0000

China stands at the forefront of a rapidly shifting global landscape shaped by Critical and Emerging Technologies (CETs) and by the accelerating commercialisation of space. As nations around the world compete for leadership in advanced technologies—from AI and quantum systems to autonomous vehicles and space platforms—China has articulated and deployed a comprehensive strategy designed to secure its position as a dominant space power.

The geopolitical risks of artificial intelligence

Eduardo Turrent Mena — Thu, 27 Nov 2025 09:33:00 +0000

The Cold War of the 21st century is not about fighting over territories, but about controlling the artificial intelligence systems that organize the global economy, security, and information.

Is this autocracy?

Marci Shore — Tue, 06 May 2025 10:06:00 +0000

“Is this autocracy?” one European journalist asked me a few days ago. “Can we use the word ‘fascism’?” asked another. I’ve been answering the latter question for most of a decade now; and my answer has been yes, we can—with the caveat that I would avoid fetishizing these categories. No historical situation is ever exactly the same as any other. At the present moment, “fascism” has felt most useful with respect to both my own country, the United States, and Russia. It would benefit, though from a modifier—“neo” for instance—to suggest the postmodern, “post-truth” version in distinction to 20th century forms.

“The very definition of tyranny”: Donald Trump’s attempted coup

Mark Kesselman — Tue, 04 Mar 2025 19:03:00 +0000

The flood of authoritarian measures—many, illegal or unconstitutional; others, while legal, nonetheless an assault on political norms of restraint and on progressive political, economic, and social reforms adopted since the New Deal—should not obscure their central aim: the accumulation of all powers that is, an attempted coup d’état to undermine American democracy.

Blame it on the trade deficit! Misconceptions about a complex macroeconomic concept

Didier Chambovey — Wed, 19 Feb 2025 08:46:00 +0000

The concept of a trade deficit is often negatively connoted and distorted by approximate, erroneous or contradictory conceptions. It is obviously complicated to explain to a wide public that imports are necessary for the proper functioning of an economy, that a trade deficit can result from a phase of prosperity and that tariffs can only effectively reduce a deficit at the cost of a recession.

Trump the Second: from the Imperial Presidency to the Imperiled Republic

Mark Kesselman — Fri, 10 Jan 2025 07:14:00 +0000

How dangerous will Donald M. Trump’s second term be? This article claims that he is seeking to undermine the fundamental elements of American government created by the Constitutional Convention in 1787 and poses the greatest threat to America’s republican system of government since the Civil War of 1861-65.

A President and customs duties: is a major trade conflict imminent?

Didier Chambovey — Mon, 16 Dec 2024 09:59:00 +0000

Candidate Trump promised during the 2024 campaign to increase tariffs by 60% on all Chinese products and by 10 to 20% on all products from the rest of the world. Should we expect major commercial conflicts? Or is the social networking fuss just tactical positioning? The potential consequences of the proposed policy provide some useful clues.

The significance of Trump's victory

Mark Kesselman — Thu, 21 Nov 2024 09:02:00 +0000

Any Democratic Party candidate would have faced a daunting challenge in 2024. Political scientists have found that the two most reliable indicators of an incumbent party’s chance for re-election are voters’ evaluation of whether the country is going in the right direction, and whether voters judge that they are better off today than in the past. Still, despite the substantial odds against a Harris victory, the election was extremely close.

Memorial: War of Memories

Kristian Feigelson — Mon, 24 Jul 2023 08:51:00 +0000

Memorial, Nobel Peace Prize 2022 shared with Ales Bialiatski, Belarusian human rights activist in prison, and the Ukrainian Center for Civil Liberties, has been witnessing since 1991 all the upheavals of civil society in Russia and its former empire.

Riots in France: anything new since 2005?

Olivier Galland — Sat, 01 Jul 2023 14:01:00 +0000

The violence that has erupted in several French communes following the tragic death of young Nahel last Tuesday has come as no surprise to those familiar with the situation. Unfortunately, the factors that were at the root of the 2005 riots are still present. And two novelties make the situation even more difficult to manage.

Stalemate or reaction? The Midterm Elections and their discontents

Mark Kesselman — Tue, 25 Oct 2022 11:31:00 +0000

How will the Republican Party use its new-found power if, as is near-certain, it gains control of one or both houses of Congress in the November midterm elections. Common wisdom about the American system of separated powers holds that divided control of Congress and the presidency produces stalemate, a freezing of the status quo. I suggest, on the contrary, that the result will be substantial: Republicans will use their congressional power not simply to block presidential initiatives but to reshape American politics and policy in reactionary, ultra-rightist, and anti-democratic directions.

If I wanted to go to there, I wouldn’t start from here

Mike Goldsmith — Tue, 21 Jun 2022 15:38:00 +0000

The quote above is an anecdotal story of an Irishman giving an Englishman travel directions… and after twelve years of Conservative led governments I’m not sure that it is an inappropriate summary of how the United Kingdom got to where it is today. Nor am I sure where ‘there’ is either, given the current state of world affairs, continuing Covid issues and post Brexit difficulties. What the UK faces at the moment is a crisis of government at the centre of which are concerns about its leader, Boris Johnson.

French teachers: a declining social status?

Charles Dennery — Fri, 04 Mar 2022 17:00:00 +0000

If one compares the starting wage of a certified teacher with the median wage, the ratio was about 100% in 1980, and is now around 75%. The fall is very real, but not as apocalyptic. The decline in teachers’ wage and social status is real, but it needs to be measured correctly in order to be addressed. The fall in teachers’ wage can be partially attributed to economic structural factors, but also to reasons common to the structure of the French civil service and to teachers’ specific explanations.

Nuclear power and natural gas: what lies behind EU inconsistencies?

Dominique Finon — Tue, 28 Dec 2021 12:50:00 +0000

On December 21, the European Commission has just presented the new “state aid for climate, environmental protection and energy” regime, the main objective of which is to facilitate the achievement of the 2030 and 2050 climate objectives by authorising subsidies for all technologies contributing to the energy transition. However, nuclear power is excluded, while natural gas-based electricity production is covered. Why such an inconsistency?