Contenu du sommaire : Nouvelles recherches 2011

A little prince at the League of Nations: the struggle of King Hussein of Hedjaz for the independence of the Arab provinces of the Ottoman Empire. The birth of the League of Nations enabled the emergence of actors who had so far remained on the fringes of the international arena. The settlement of the "Eastern Question" witnessed new developments through the arrival on the scene of Sharif Hussein, the leader of the Great Arab Revolt of 1916. The latter undertook to call upon the organization to solve the conflict which opposed him to Great Britain and France regarding the mandate question. Hussein then began intense diplomatic lobbying of the League's Secretariat, which soon found itself caught in a dilemma. Indeed, the Council of the League skillfully managed to avoid the implication of the organization in a matter which the Great Powers wanted to resolve in complete disregard of the Covenant of the League. The Secretariat was thus forced to align itself with the interests of the Great Powers, despite the objections of many international civil servants who were proponents of justice based on universal law.

From war economy to philanthropic assistance: care and the implications of American aid in post-war EuropeFounded in November 1945, the Committee for Assistance and Remittance for Europe (care) is a model of the challenges and problems faced by relief action during the immediate post-war period. Originating from the American philanthropic tradition, the main purpose of this agency was to send food packages financed by American donors to individual Europeans. A product of total war, care reworked techniques of production and mobilization developed by war economy. The care model was part of a humanitarian economy, and it quickly became a popular instrument of compassion and relief diplomacy. In a certain way, the care-usa-stamped packages privatized practices developed by the army by changing the links between donors and "victims".

The Berliet campaign in China
The case of the Lyon-based automotive manufacturer Marius Berliet (amb) illustrates the difficulties for companies to trade with the People's Republic of China during the Cold War. But amb also seems original, even a pioneer, in its approach to the Chinese market. Its attempts were unsuccessful until the mid-1950s: the absence of commercial representation, of Franco-Chinese diplomatic relations, and especially of the existence of a multilateral system of restrictions in international trade, constituted major handicaps. On the other hand, Berliet was later able to export trucks from the Moroccan and Algerian subsidiaries of the group, until the early 1960s. After the establishment of diplomatic relations between France and communist China in 1964, amb signed the "China licence" agreement (1965), the first transfer of French technology to the prc.

How to leave the Indo-China conflict in 1954?
Most historians state that the French presence in Indo-China ended as the war ended. But nobody, in 1954, could foresee a quick withdrawal. Was Pierre Mendes France, who was lauded for the Geneva peace treaty, guilty of having passed the buck to the Americans? Did he betray the hopes of those who wanted a new France in Asia to be a bridge between North and South and between East and West? Mendes France tried to shape a policy after Geneva, and he held on to it through his last six months in office. But he had to take account of the harsh realities of the relationship with the United States, and of the beginnings of the Algerian war. Many groups and individuals wanted to have a say in French policy in Indo-China. The realities on the ground were not conducive, neither in South Vietnam nor in North Vietnam, to a "last hurrah" of French colonialism in Indo-China.

Morocco between France and Algeria (1956-1962)On 2nd March 1956, Morocco gained its independence. Following this, a policy of cooperation, based on economic interests essential for France and Morocco, was put in place. However, Morocco gradually withdrew from France's guardianship and became involved in the defence of Algerian independence. Thus, on 21st October 1956, Mohamed V received in Rabat members of the fln, the National Liberation Front. This meeting led to the hijacking of Ben Bella's airplane by the French army and government. A series of events with disastrous consequences for Franco-Moroccan cooperation ensued, such as the Meknes massacres and the recall of ambassadors. Moreover, various forms of aid which Morocco was giving to the Fellagha in support of their fight for independence contributed to the radicalisation of Franco-Moroccan relations.

Revisiting the founding myth of Doctors Without Borders: relations between French doctors and the icrc during the war in Biafra (1967-1970)In the literature devoted to humanitarian affairs, the Biafra war (1967-1970) is often portrayed as a place of renewal for humanitarian action. In fact, during this conflict, the future founders of Doctors Without Borders challenged the traditional principles of relief action established by the International Committee of the Red Cross (icrc). By investigating the relationship between French doctors and the Swiss institution during the war, this article demonstrates that the activities of the French doctors were not as innovative as they were often alleged to be. Thus, without underestimating the existing tensions between the different protagonists, the article invalidates the premise of a real rupture between the icrc and French doctors during the Biafra war.

Multilateral diplomacy tested by the first enlargement of the Common Market in 1973The first enlargement of the European Union took place in 1973, admitting the United Kingdom, Ireland and Denmark and increasing the Common Market from six to nine members. This enlargement process of the 1960s and 1970s undeniably included an international dimension which can be analyzed in different ways. On the one hand, the history of international relations and European Union history, generally speaking, are closely intertwined. In particular, European trade issues are linked to a global trading order through the gatt. On the other hand, even the internal decision-making process of the Common Market is relevant for the history of international relations and organizations. The leadership of a restricted club of members such as the Paris-Bonn-London triangle, played a paramount role in the decision-making process at Community level. In a sense, the European Community worked and still works as a mini-international organization.