Beyond Fashoda: Anglo-French security cooperation in Africa since St-Malo

Traditionally divided on security matters, France and Britain broke new ground when they signed the 1998 Saint-Malo agreement, promising to collaborate on defence and security, and pledging to cooperate bilaterally and in a ‘bi-multi’ fashion on Africa. This Anglo-French collaboration is the focus of this article, which begins by setting out the lack of UK–French security cooperation in Africa from the colonial to the early post-Cold War era. It then shows how there has been a degree of institutionalization of Anglo-French relations, alongside greater cooperation in terms of ESDP missions and the training of African peacekeepers. Next, this study explains the recent evolution of UK–French security relations in terms of neo-classical realist theory. Finally, it assesses the likelihood of closer Anglo-French security collaboration in the future

China, Responsibility to Protect, and the Case of Syria: From Sovereignty Protection to Pragmatism

Will the rise of China, an authoritarian, party-state with a poor record of protecting its citizens' human rights, undermine humanitarian intervention? This question has been particularly pertinent since China's 'assertive turn' in foreign policy. Drawing on the case of Chinese reactions to the humanitarian crisis in Syria, we argue that China's attitude toward humanitarian intervention remains ambiguous and contradictory. While China has at times prevented the UNSC from threatening sanctions on Syria, it has not necessarily denied that a humanitarian crisis exists. We show that the People's Republic of China (PRC) is beginning to act more as a 'norm maker' than 'norm taker', and is offering its own vision of humanitarian intervention, coined as 'responsible protection'

Fluoroquinolone-associated tendinopathy: a case report

Fluoroquinolone-associated tendinopathy is well described. This adverse effect however does not appear to be widely known among medical practitioners. We hereby described a case of ciprofloxacin-associated tendinopathy for which the adverse drug reaction was not suspected initially and the patient was inappropriately reassured and incorrectly advised to complete the antibiotic course. Given the frequent use of fluoroquinolones in clinical practice and the potential for severe disability from tendon rupture, we consider it important to remind your readers of this uncommon but potentially devastating adverse drug reaction

Closure in the Earth's angular momentum budget observed from subseasonal periods down to four days: No core effects needed

International audienceShort period variations in the Earth's rotation rate, length‐of‐day (LOD), are driven mainly by the atmosphere with smaller contributions by the oceans. Previous studies have noted a lag of atmospheric angular momentum (AAM) with LOD that would imply another source. We examine AAM from the European Centre for Medium‐Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) and the National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) reanalysis series, along with oceanic angular momentum (OAM) from the ECCO consortium; land hydrological effects made no discernible impact. The NCEP reanalysis together with OAM produces a significant lag with LOD, while the ECMWF reanalysis AAM with OAM shows no phase lag. We find significant coherence with LOD variations down to periods of 4 days; coherence losses at shorter periods likely arise from the inverted barometer assumption and unmodeled dynamical processes. Thus the inclusion of core effects is not needed to balance the axial angular momentum budget on sub‐seasonal time scales

Représentations littéraires des paysages miniers en Nouvelle-Calédonie : regards coloniaux et vécus kanak

Montagnes ravinées, minéraliers et usines sont, depuis la fin du xixe siècle, autant de motifs décrits pour évoquer la Nouvelle-Calédonie. Des récits ont aussi inscrit l’exploitation minière dans l’imaginaire de Nouvelle-Calédonie. L’élaboration des discours sur la mine en Nouvelle-Calédonie a relevé, dès les années 1880, d’une question de maintien de la domination coloniale. Il s’agissait alors d’améliorer l’image de la Nouvelle-Calédonie en tant que colonie française. Différents types de discours ont ainsi participé à la construction d’un imaginaire de la mine en Nouvelle-Calédonie. La singularité de ces discours littéraires est de rendre visible l’irruption de la mine dans l’imaginaire kanak dont l’interprétation est essentielle pour saisir les enjeux contemporains locaux.Since the end of the 19th century, dramatic mountains, ore carriers and factories have been among the images that represent New Caledonia. In addition to the landscape, various narratives and stories have etched the mining industry into the imagery of New Caledonia. From the 1880s, the development of discourse on mining in New Caledonia responded to the need to preserve colonial domination. In order to maintain this domination, the image of New Caledonia as a French colony needed to be improved. Different types of discourse contributed towards constructing a picture of mining in New Caledonia. Literary discourse has a unique ability to unfold the emergence of mining in the Kanak imagination, the interpretation of which is essential to the understanding of contemporary issues in the area

China's charm offensive and peacekeeping: the lessons of Cambodia – what now for Sudan?

China's participation in UN peacekeeping is often viewed as a part of a global ‘charm offensive’ aimed at enhancing China's image in host countries. However, when viewed in the light of its support for dictatorial regimes in those host countries, do Chinese peacekeeping efforts improve the perceptions local populations have of China? This article examines changes in Cambodian perceptions of China during the UN Transitional Authority in Cambodia (UNTAC) from 1992 to 1993. It argues that China's peacekeeping contribution to UNTAC helped to overcome negative perceptions of that country rooted in its support of the Khmer Rouge before 1992. The key to overcoming current negative perceptions is to project an image of Chinese neutrality with respect to all parties in a civil war. This article concludes by discussing the implication of this argument with regard to China's peacekeeping in Sudan from 2006 to the present, and suggesting that China will need to be more attentive to the needs of other warring factions in the north–south and Darfur conflicts

The International Criminal Court and Civil Resistance

There has long been work and research on international criminal justice in the face of great and tragic atrocities. One mechanism established to confront these atrocities and create international criminal justice is the International Criminal Court. Since its inception the court has drawn criticism both for its infringement on state sovereignty and its focus on Africa. My research looks at how the International Criminal Court can best work to address these critiques and continue to provide international criminal justice. I believe one facet of this can be found in the adoption of the normative framework of a Right to Assist local civil resistance movements. To examine this, I am primarily looking at the case against the former head of state of Sudan Omar Al-Bashir

Why do we need ‘myth-busting’ in the study of Sino–African relations?

The literature on Sino–African relations has debated whether or not China's growing presence is a threat to Western or African interests, and has come to the conclusion that China's behavior is not uniquely immoral. Many countries, including Western liberal democracies, similarly give aid to local autocrats to secure natural resources. Why, then, has so much effort been made to come to this perhaps unsurprising conclusion? We argue that the literature on Chinese foreign policy remains heavily influenced by Western states' policy interests, resulting in an impoverished debate that is primarily concerned with the idea of a China threat. In order to recover the diversity in our research on Chinese foreign policy, we argue for the need to go beyond the confines of Western strategic interests