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AbstractCentral Asia has been divided among five States since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. These complex borders suddenly went from the status of interior limits to that of international boundaries. Some authors have little hesitation using the term “artificial boundary”. This concept however is debatable and overly minimizing, to the same extent as the concept of “natural boundaries”: both reflect very ideological representations of the borders they are used to describe.Moreover, the history of boundary making underlines the approaches used by Soviet officials when they carved up the region: it reveals criteria that certainly do not make Central Asian boundaries ontologically different from borders elsewhere in the world. There is little doubt that newly independent States inherited complex limits, but the issue of their peaceful management has more to do with political goals and the objectives of local governments than to the reportedly artificial nature of State boundaries.

Keywords: frontière, territoire, artificiel, géopolitique, Asie centrale, horogenèse, border, territory, artificial, geopolitics, Central Asia, boundary-making

This paper aims to initiate francophone readers to the research program of international historical sociology (ihs) and to the theory of uneven and combined development (ucd) as an attempt at a transdisciplinary synthesis between historical sociology and international relations (ir). This attempt will be analyzed through the study of revolutions as a research object representative of the epistemic break between the two disciplines. We will deconstruct the transdisciplinary project of ucd in order to show how it falls short of the initial objectives of ihs in terms of the sociologization and historicization of ir. We will then try to reactivate these objectives and reformulate the interdisciplinary relation between sociology and international relations through a historicist and epistemological reflection on the basis of the theory of social property relations.

Keywords: développement inégal et combiné, révolutions, interdisciplinarité, sociologie historique internationale, relations sociales de propriété, uneven and combined development, revolutions, interdisciplinarity, international historical sociology, social property relations, desarrollo desigual y combinado, revoluciones, interdisciplinaridad, sociología histórica internacional, relaciones sociales de propiedad

Many geographers agree that what followed the period known as “consensus-based land development” was a new era of “contentious land development”. Indeed, for a decade, several large management and infrastructure projects around the world experienced conflicts and tensions, which at times led to delays or even cancellations. The light rail project in Ottawa is no exception. Proposed in 2001 by the City of Ottawa, this megaproject for sustainable transportation was planned for years but eventually blocked in 2006, leaving taxpayers footing the high cancellation fee. Nonetheless, the project was relaunched two years later and is now back on track. This article reviews the famous saga of this light rail project that has been unleashing passions for more than a decade. Through a study of media coverage, this article attempts to capture the origins, the issues and the role of the various players involved in this development project, as well as the factors that have contributed to the outcome of one of the largest urban projects in the history of Canada's capital.

AbstractLiberal intergovernmentalism approach proposed by Andrew Moravsick is an important contribution to regional integration studies in Western Europe. Can it also help explaining integration among developing countries ? The objective of this paper is to examine the extent to which liberal intergovermentalism can be used to explain the process of integration in the Caribbean Basin, in particular, the Association of Caribbean States (acs). Firstly, this paper evaluates Moravcsik's approach to regional integration and its contribution to integration theory. Secondly, one analyses the development of the acs by using a variable of Moravsick approach : the process of formation of national preferences. Based on the study of the formation of national preferences in Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic and Mexico, the paper shows the extent to which Moravsick ideas could account for regionalism in the Caribbean Basin.

AbstractThe study of Quebec's international relations has not produced, as of yet, a genuine research program, with a coherent set of data and tools of analysis. Different approaches to the phenomenon are presented, according to the different aspects of the object under study and according to the analytical frameworks which have been developed to better understand the nature and extent of Quebec's international behavior. A recent concern for empirical methods in assessing Quebec's international activities allows one to contemplate the possibility of a more systematic analysis in this field.

Political scientists interested in videogames have until now largely depended on two main theoretical frameworks: narratology and ludology. These frameworks, inspired by film studies, have helped to make sense of the messages contained in videogames, and how they fit in the construction of a virtual and virtuous image of war. But researchers outside of social sciences have revealed numerous physical and psychological effects associated with those games, with important political implications. After reviewing the existing literature on the links between the Pentagon and first-person-shooter (FPS) games, we propose to widen that study through the use of the cybernetic approach.

The Indian Ocean – a gateway to energy and a vital international sea route – has always been important for China. And with the Maritime Silk Road, it is becoming the incubator of a new Chinese conception of maritime power. This predominantly geoeconomic vision, with its underlying notion of “maritime connectivity,” doesn't translate into partnerships and cooperation agreements with coastal states, because it is incompatible with an anarchic maritime system dominated by traditional visions of security and interstate rivalries. In this competitive context, the Chinese approach is instead confined to the yielding of economic power over its partners and the construction of dual-use infrastructure (civil and military) indicative of China's ambivalent posture.

Keywords: Route maritime de la soie, océan Indien, puissance maritime, sécurité maritime, Maritime Silk Road, Indian Ocean, maritime power, maritime security, Ruta Marítima de la Seda, Océano Índico, potencia marítima, seguridad marítima

This article explains how the intensifying Sino-Indian rivalry, which has crystalized around New Delhi's oppostion to China's Belt and Road initiative, has led India to reconceptualize its immediate strategic environment and redimension its foreign policy instruments. India's regional policy now extends beyond the concept of a South Asian regional security complex developed by Barry Buzan and Ole Weaver to integrate into a transregional space, the Indo-Pacific zone. The construction of this new geoeconomic and geopolitical space is aided and abetted by the strategic and normative convergence between India, the United States, Australia, and Japan. Deployment of the Indian policy in the Indo-Pacific Zone is characterized by active diplomacy aimed at guaranteeing India's maritime security, providing a political and economic alternative to China's silk road ambitions, and strengthening Indian influence in the region.

Keywords: Indopacifique, Inde – politique étrangère, complexe de sécurité régional, Indo-Pacific, India – foreign policy, regional security complex, Indo-Pacífico, India – Política Exterior, complejo de seguridad regional

International law and norms of responsible behaviour play a central role in un-led processes on Developments in the Field of icts in the Context of International Security. The purpose of this article is therefore to analyse –and provide insights on– the place of international law in the context of the ungge and oewg, and to explain how international law is being instrumentalized in the present discussions. Firstly, it will explain the context in which these two processes were established and their respective mandates. Secondly, it will discuss the ambiguity –or even confusion– about the role of norms and international law in the regulation of cyberspace and the geopolitical motivations behind it.

Keywords: droit international, normes de comportement responsable, cybersécurité, téléinformatique, cyberespace, International law, Norms of responsible behavior, U , Cybersecurity, Cyberspace