History of geopolitics, Balkans, Japan, society, First Empire. Overview of the Books of the week.
Florian Louis, Geopolitics in America, PUF, 2023, 25 €.
The publication of Florian Louis’s thesis last year did not go unnoticed by the one who was a member of the journal’s editorial staff. Conflicts has established itself in the French geopolitical debate. His work, the result of unprecedented research in major American university funds, essentially deals with the reception of German geopolitikers in the United States, in particular Karl Haushofer. Florian Louis traces the complex itinerary of the now very widespread neologism, of geopolitics, and more particularly of McKinder’s theory of the central pivot which inspired the aggressive theories of habitat German.
But that is not the originality of Florian Louis’s thesis, which seeks to show how geopolitics experienced a phase of very intense appropriation in the United States, in 1942, just after the Japanese attack on Pearl. Harbour. It is therefore at the moment when technology goes beyond the limits of geography that geopolitics takes off. After the victory of 1945, geopolitics experienced a new development to the extent that it countered the new Soviet domination on the global island. President Truman will be able to rely on a true American school of geopolitics, in particular the Rimland theories developed by Nicholas Spykman, to implement the containment of the Soviet empire.
Florian Louis focuses more on describing than taking sides for or against geopolitics. He nevertheless concludes with the possibility for geopolitics to place itself alongside political or international sciences, but with the particularity of combining with political geography. Freed from its German excesses, it becomes for States a means of defending themselves and working to preserve the balance of the world.
In short, geopolitics, so often diverted or disguised by unscrupulous practitioners or researchers, we think in particular of the plans of George T. Renner or Paul Nitze, channels armed violence and guides the strategist towards reasonable power objectives. Political geography on a world scale, it proves to be a relevant tool for diplomats and political leaders as long as they are driven by convictions aimed at preserving world peace.
Michel Cheville.
Pierre-François Souyri, Ninja History. Henchmen and spies in samurai JapanTallandier, €20.90.
We can imagine the Ninja quite well: dressed in black, hooded, legs bent, ready to jump from the top of a roof to deliver a big blow with his Ninjato – the Ninja sword – with a triumphant cry. Are we certain, however, that this representation corresponds to the reality of the feudal wars of the 16th century?e century ? In an investigation based on the few historical sources available, the author, a historian of medieval Japan, recounts the lives of these men, far from the contemporary legend well anchored in popular culture.
https://amzn.to/3Ub42rj
Vivianne Perret, A flower of skinsHerscher, 29€.
It is not uncommon today to meet a tattooed person. Since the end of the last century, this centuries-old practice has enjoyed great success in all levels of society. In a richly illustrated work, which is intended to be an invitation to travel, the author makes us discover the multiple aspects of this art across centuries and cultures. The curious reader will be particularly struck by the meetings with tattoo artists and tattooed people who punctuate this work, revealing the human stories hidden behind each tattoo.
https://amzn.to/3YqDO6u
Jean-Arnault Dérens and Laurent Geslin, The Balkans in 100 questions. Crossroads under influenceTallandier, €10.50.
Since the breakup of Yugoslavia and the end of a series of devastating wars, the Balkan countries have been eternal candidates for the European Union. They no longer hide their weariness at the slow pace of the accession process, which is justified by their standard of living, which is far below that of the EU, and their fragile respect for the rules of the rule of law. In this updated edition, we understand how the Balkans are regaining their place as a crossroads on the border of Europe and under the influence of the great powers of this world.
https://amzn.to/3BYTZz9
Premier Empire
Walter Bruyère-Ostells, The Marshals of the EmpirePerrin, 11€.
The originality of this work, which now includes the vast historiography of the Napoleonic wars, lies in its approach. This is not a juxtaposition of portraits of the different marshals, or an analysis of each of the individual relationships maintained with the Emperor. On the contrary, the author conducts a thematic analysis: first, five typical journeys of marshals, then a chronological account of their actions through the setting of each major event of the Napoleonic epic. Finally, a reading of the different aspects of their function (military, administrative, courtesan). The author thus paints a collective portrait of the marshals of the empire, with a perspective which allows us to understand as a whole the history of these men who made the Empire.
