Valdai Club

Evgeny Gontmakher

Denis Golubev

Charles Grant

Thomas Graham

Igor Gretskiy

Tatiana Gladenkova

Juan Martin Gonzalez Cabañas

António Guterres

Arvind Gupta

Thomas Gomart

France

Director, French Institute of International Relations (Ifri)

He previously was Ifri Vice President for Strategic Development and the Director of its Russia/NIS Centre.

His academic and professional background has been closely related to post-Soviet space, but also to wider international issues (security, energy, and digital governance). As Lavoisier Fellow at the Moscow State Institute of International Relations (MGIMO University), Visiting Fellow at the Institute for Security Studies (European Union – Paris) and Marie Curie Fellow at the Department of War Studies (King’s College – London), Gomart has acquired a diversified international experience.

He is currently working on Russia, digital governance, country risk, and think tanks. He recently published The Return of Geopolitical Risk - Russia, China and the United States (2016), Notre intérêt national. Quelle politique étrangère pour la France? (ed., with Thierry de Montbrial, 2017), as well as Foreign Policy Challenges for the Next French President (ed., with Marc Hecker, 2017).

Materials

Macron Will Succeed Internationally Only If He Improves France’s Economy

The new French president’s priority will be in rebalancing relations with Germany and the EU. This, however, will only be possible if Macron succeeds in pushing forward an economic recovery. France-Germany relationship was strongly unbalanced during Nicolas Sarkozy’s and Francois Hollande’s terms.

Warsaw NATO Summit: Moving From Reassurance to Deterrence

The July NATO summit’s main goals were to deploy four battalions to the Baltic states and approve the construction of an anti-missile system base in Romania, Thomas Gomart, Vice-President for Strategic Development, French Institute of International Relations (IFRI) told valdaiclub.com.

Syria Comes Up As the Best and Worst of 2013 in the Valdai Club Poll

Valdai Club experts were polled on the results of 2013 and the most important events that influenced or changed international affairs. The majority of the experts polled believe that the most positive development this year was the decision to secure and destroy Syria’s chemical weapons. They also note the role of the international community and Russia’s significant contribution.

What is Hidden Behind the Snowden Case?

Edward Snowden is not an isolated case but part of an independent community which is increasingly resolute in asserting itself and rejecting “raison d’Etat” and behind-the-scenes manipulation. The direct results of Snowden’s disclosures are most clearly evident in the context of Russian-American relations. The Snowden case has humiliated Europe, which Putin took the opportunity to remind them of.

Edward Snowden and Democratization Through the Web

Edward Snowden belongs to that generation of militants who do believe in the web as a tool for democratization, and do think that, to some extent, intelligence services of big states intend to monitor and to control the web at the expense of civil societies. These militants want to fight against the "raison d'Etat".

Valdai Index: Russia’s Diplomacy is More Active Than It Was Ten Years Ago

The problem of Russian diplomacy, especially in the Middle East, is its ability to take the lead. Russia’s foreign policy is a very interesting area where one can observe the real ideological divergence between Russia, on the one hand, and Europe and the U.S., on the other.

Russian Internet Demonstrates High Level of Political Maturity

The Russian web is a sort of public intermediate space, and obviously it was very useful for the opponents to criticize the government or the regional authorities. From this point of view, it is very important to be observed to try to anticipate some changes in Russian politics in the next two years.

Future Challenges for Russian Economy

Russia will have to face certain challenges in the economic sphere in order to solve the problems of economic modernization. In the short term, one of the important things for Russia is what is going on in Europe, because if there is a deep recession in Europe, which is possible, there is no doubt that Russia will suffer as well because of its external trade relations with the European market.

RuNet Is a Powerful Catalyst for Transforming Russia

RuNet is much more open than other media for expressing discontent with the existing order. At the same time, the authorities are also active in it. It is also a place where part of the population, the most educated and young users express their abilities as entrepreneurs. There are real success stories in the RuNet.

Tymoshenko Is Like Khodorkovsky

It is on one level a clear signal about the Ukrainian leadership’s current weakness. Not only has it been trapped by this trial, it will suffer severe reputational damage as a result. This reflects the weakness of Ukraine’s leadership. It remains in a position which will see them struggle to build a consensus within their elites regarding both domestic and foreign policy.

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War of the Future: What Should We Prepare for? Special Session

17.10.2018