Insights
In this section, discover the interviews and maps of the month presented by the chair
Interviews of the Month
January 2026
General Éric Autellet — Chairman of the Board, Défense Angels
In a world where economic, political, and geopolitical logics are becoming increasingly intertwined, how should companies adapt their strategy? Éric Autellet, a former military officer turned trusted intermediary between the state, businesses, and actors in strategic thinking, shares his vision on geopolitical risk, technological sovereignty, and the future of European power.
March 2026
Sébastien Bussone — International Sanctions and Embargoes Expert, Civilian Auditor of the 30th cohort of the École de Guerre
Primary sanctions, extraterritoriality of American law, counter-sanctions… how do companies find themselves caught in a vice between geopolitical power dynamics they never chose? Sébastien Bussone deciphers the mechanisms of international sanctions and explains how to anticipate these risks rather than simply absorb them.
April 2026
Jean-Vincent Holeindre — Director of the Thucydides Centre, Université Paris II Panthéon-Assas
Commerce and war are not mutually exclusive — they combine. Jean-Vincent Holeindre, specialist in international relations, analyses the recomposition of the contemporary world: the end of the liberal illusion, the strategic role of Europe, hybrid warfare, and the growing importance of geopolitics in the training of business decision-makers.
May 2026
Xavier Hürstel — President of ADP International
An airport is not merely an infrastructure — it is a sovereign asset. Xavier Hürstel, head of international development at Aéroports de Paris, deciphers the new geopolitical realities of global air transport: the maritimisation of energy flows, strategic chokepoints, the complex relationship between states and companies, and the singular place of European capitalism in a world undergoing recomposition.
June 2026
Emmanuelle Crane — Founder and Principal, Emmanuelle Crane Consulting
In a world where geopolitical landmarks are fading and culture is becoming a strategic imperative, how must companies and educational institutions reinvent themselves? Emmanuelle Crane—an anthropologist by training, intercultural management consultant, and Board Member of the EDHEC Chair in Geopolitics and Corporate Strategy—shares her insights on cultural intelligence, the growing prominence of geopolitics in corporate strategy, and the essential competencies required to navigate a world of competing blocs.
Maps of the month
January 2026
Greenland in Washington's Crosshairs: Chinese Threat or Race for Raw Materials?
Rare earths, Arctic routes, military bases: behind Donald Trump's stated desire to acquire Greenland lie geostrategic and mineral stakes far more complex than mere security rhetoric. A cartographic analysis that nuances the American discourse on the "Chinese threat."
March 2026
The Strait of Hormuz: Permanent Tension on the World's Oil and Gas Artery
One fifth of all liquefied natural gas and more than a quarter of the world's oil pass through a single passage fifty kilometres wide. As Israel and the United States launch a military campaign against Iran, this strait is becoming more than ever the tipping point of the global energy economy.
April 2026
Gum Arabic: A Doubly Concentrated Value Chain on the Path to Diversification?
From the Sahel to Normandy, by way of American markets: how did two French SMEs become the indispensable players in the global gum arabic trade? And how is the Sudanese conflict today destabilising this discreet yet strategic supply chain?
May 2026
Strategic Straits and Europe's Energy Pivot
From Hormuz to Gibraltar, by way of the Bosphorus and Bab-el-Mandeb: how has the Russian shock forced Europe to rethink its energy supply routes? And to what extent do strategic maritime chokepoints now hold the fate of European hydrocarbon imports in their hands?
June 2026
Syria in Transition: Between the Balance of Powers and Internal Fractures
From reconstruction and contradictory alliances to communal tensions and the Kurdish question — the fall of Bashar al-Assad in December 2024 has left Syria still searching for its footing. A cartographic analysis of the internal challenges and international power plays shaping the future of a country at the crossroads of every regional crisis.