François Géré
Encyclopedia
François Géré, a French historian specializing in geostrategy
, is notably the founding president of the French strategic analysis institute, the Institut français d’analyse stratégique (IFAS). He is also an official representative for the French Institute of Higher National Defense Studies, the Institut des Hautes études de défense nationale (IHEDN) and research director at Paris III University
. He was awarded the distinction of Knight of the French Legion of Honor in 2005.
on August 28, 1950. In 1975, he became Agrégé
in History, PhD in 1991, then in 2000 he obtained post-doctoral research accreditation (Docteur Habilité) in contemporary history at the University of Paris III – Sorbonne Nouvelle
, where he was appointed research director in 2003. At the same time, he contributed from 1977 to 1982 to the magazine Cahiers du Cinéma
, under the section “Cinéma, Histoire et Guerre” (Cinema, History, and War).
As early as 1985, he specialized in analysis of irregular wars
(Indochina
, Algeria, etc.) and the first developments of the nuclear weapon
under the French Fourth Republic
, as well as in the study of the different currents of French and American strategic thought since 1945. In 1988, he entered the Fondation pour les etudes de defense nationale, where until 1992 he was student and assistant to General Lucien Poirier
, a theoretician in nuclear deterrence. During several stays in the United States
, he trained in the physics of nuclear weapons and in ballistics
from the perspective of oversight processes for arms control
treaties.
at the French national secretariat for national defense and security (Secrétariat général de la défense et de la sécurité nationale).
In 1994-95, he was visiting professor at the School of Advanced International Studies
(SAIS) at Johns Hopkins University
in Washington, D.C.
, where he taught French foreign and defense policy.
Senior researcher in 1994 at the Centre de Recherches et d'Études sur les Stratégies et les Technologies or Centre for Study of Strategies and Technologies (CREST)
of the École Polytechnique
in Palaiseau
(France), in 1997 he became director of scientific affairs at the Foundation for Strategic Research
, then in 2001 founded the Institut Diplomatie et Défense, which in 2003 became the Institut français d'analyse stratégique (IFAS), of which he is director (see below for more details on the IFAS). At the same time, he directed the Institut Diplomatie et Défense (2001–2004).
Starting in 1998, François Géré developed an independent research program on the relations between China
, the United States
and the European Union
.
and guerrilla warfare
, and on all the technological instruments that they use. Because of the extreme importance of this latter component, the IFAS analyzes nuclear proliferation
, chemical
and bio-bacteriological
risks, and strategies connected to missile
s and anti-missiles
. as well as the development of military activity in space
. IFAS activities comprise all the fields connected with nuclear warfare
, added to which is research on the conflicts and terrorism
in the Middle East
.
The institute studies procedures for controlling organized violence and returning to a state of peace, and the role of international organizations
in managing and resolving crises. In this perspective, it gives special attention to information operations, psychological action, and conflict mediation.
The IFAS approach consists in combining field studies (Pakistan
, Iran
, Israel
, Palestine
, etc.) with theoretical considerations on the modern forms of war as linked to the historical and anthropological constants governing human confrontations.
On the Web site of Le Monde diplomatique:
On the Web site of Le Figaro:
Geostrategy
Geostrategy, a subfield of geopolitics, is a type of foreign policy guided principally by geographical factors as they inform, constrain, or affect political and military planning...
, is notably the founding president of the French strategic analysis institute, the Institut français d’analyse stratégique (IFAS). He is also an official representative for the French Institute of Higher National Defense Studies, the Institut des Hautes études de défense nationale (IHEDN) and research director at Paris III University
University of Paris III: Sorbonne Nouvelle
The New Sorbonne University is a public university in Paris, France.The Université de la Sorbonne Nouvelle is a founding member of the Paris Universitas, a union of 6 Parisian universities....
. He was awarded the distinction of Knight of the French Legion of Honor in 2005.
An education focused on analyzing wars and nuclear arms control
François Géré was born in ParisParis
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
on August 28, 1950. In 1975, he became Agrégé
Agrégation
In France, the agrégation is a civil service competitive examination for some positions in the public education system. The laureates are known as agrégés...
in History, PhD in 1991, then in 2000 he obtained post-doctoral research accreditation (Docteur Habilité) in contemporary history at the University of Paris III – Sorbonne Nouvelle
University of Paris III: Sorbonne Nouvelle
The New Sorbonne University is a public university in Paris, France.The Université de la Sorbonne Nouvelle is a founding member of the Paris Universitas, a union of 6 Parisian universities....
, where he was appointed research director in 2003. At the same time, he contributed from 1977 to 1982 to the magazine Cahiers du Cinéma
Cahiers du cinéma
Cahiers du Cinéma is an influential French film magazine founded in 1951 by André Bazin, Jacques Doniol-Valcroze and Joseph-Marie Lo Duca. It developed from the earlier magazine Revue du Cinéma involving members of two Paris film clubs — Objectif 49 and...
, under the section “Cinéma, Histoire et Guerre” (Cinema, History, and War).
As early as 1985, he specialized in analysis of irregular wars
Irregular warfare
Irregular warfare is warfare in which one or more combatants are irregular military rather than regular forces. Guerrilla warfare is a form of irregular warfare, and so is asymmetric warfare....
(Indochina
First Indochina War
The First Indochina War was fought in French Indochina from December 19, 1946, until August 1, 1954, between the French Union's French Far East...
, Algeria, etc.) and the first developments of the nuclear weapon
Nuclear weapon
A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission or a combination of fission and fusion. Both reactions release vast quantities of energy from relatively small amounts of matter. The first fission bomb test released the same amount...
under the French Fourth Republic
French Fourth Republic
The French Fourth Republic was the republican government of France between 1946 and 1958, governed by the fourth republican constitution. It was in many ways a revival of the Third Republic, which was in place before World War II, and suffered many of the same problems...
, as well as in the study of the different currents of French and American strategic thought since 1945. In 1988, he entered the Fondation pour les etudes de defense nationale, where until 1992 he was student and assistant to General Lucien Poirier
Lucien Poirier
Lucien Poirier is a retired general of the French army and theoretician of nuclear deterrence.Poirier took part in the design of the French doctrine for use of nuclear weapons, the so-called "weak-to-strong strategy" , intended to deter the vastly superior Soviet Union from invading France and...
, a theoretician in nuclear deterrence. During several stays in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, he trained in the physics of nuclear weapons and in ballistics
Ballistics
Ballistics is the science of mechanics that deals with the flight, behavior, and effects of projectiles, especially bullets, gravity bombs, rockets, or the like; the science or art of designing and accelerating projectiles so as to achieve a desired performance.A ballistic body is a body which is...
from the perspective of oversight processes for arms control
Arms control
Arms control is an umbrella term for restrictions upon the development, production, stockpiling, proliferation, and usage of weapons, especially weapons of mass destruction...
treaties.
Research and advisory activities
In 1993, François Géré was technical advisor for nuclear affairs and official representative for arms controlArms control
Arms control is an umbrella term for restrictions upon the development, production, stockpiling, proliferation, and usage of weapons, especially weapons of mass destruction...
at the French national secretariat for national defense and security (Secrétariat général de la défense et de la sécurité nationale).
In 1994-95, he was visiting professor at the School of Advanced International Studies
Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies
The Paul H. Nitze School of Advanced International Studies , a division of Johns Hopkins University based in Washington, D.C., is one of the world's leading and most prestigious graduate schools devoted to the study of international affairs, economics, diplomacy, and policy research and...
(SAIS) at Johns Hopkins University
Johns Hopkins University
The Johns Hopkins University, commonly referred to as Johns Hopkins, JHU, or simply Hopkins, is a private research university based in Baltimore, Maryland, United States...
in Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
, where he taught French foreign and defense policy.
Senior researcher in 1994 at the Centre de Recherches et d'Études sur les Stratégies et les Technologies or Centre for Study of Strategies and Technologies (CREST)
Foundation for Strategic Research
The Foundation for Strategic Research is a French think-tank. It was founded by Pierre Joxe in 1992-1993 by merging the FED and the CREST The Foundation for Strategic Research (Fondation pour la recherche stratégique or FRS) is a French think-tank. It was founded by Pierre Joxe (then Minister of...
of the École Polytechnique
École Polytechnique
The École Polytechnique is a state-run institution of higher education and research in Palaiseau, Essonne, France, near Paris. Polytechnique is renowned for its four year undergraduate/graduate Master's program...
in Palaiseau
Palaiseau
Palaiseau is a commune in the southern suburbs of Paris, France. It is located from the center of Paris. Palaiseau is a sub-prefecture of the Essonne department and the seat of the Arrondissement of Palaiseau....
(France), in 1997 he became director of scientific affairs at the Foundation for Strategic Research
Foundation for Strategic Research
The Foundation for Strategic Research is a French think-tank. It was founded by Pierre Joxe in 1992-1993 by merging the FED and the CREST The Foundation for Strategic Research (Fondation pour la recherche stratégique or FRS) is a French think-tank. It was founded by Pierre Joxe (then Minister of...
, then in 2001 founded the Institut Diplomatie et Défense, which in 2003 became the Institut français d'analyse stratégique (IFAS), of which he is director (see below for more details on the IFAS). At the same time, he directed the Institut Diplomatie et Défense (2001–2004).
Starting in 1998, François Géré developed an independent research program on the relations between China
China
Chinese civilization may refer to:* China for more general discussion of the country.* Chinese culture* Greater China, the transnational community of ethnic Chinese.* History of China* Sinosphere, the area historically affected by Chinese culture...
, the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
and the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
.
Institut français d'analyse stratégique (IFAS)
The Institut français d’analyse stratégique studies all the conflicts around the world. Its analyses focus on the material and spiritual motives that generate them, on the military forms that they take, in particular terrorismTerrorism
Terrorism is the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion. In the international community, however, terrorism has no universally agreed, legally binding, criminal law definition...
and guerrilla warfare
Guerrilla warfare
Guerrilla warfare is a form of irregular warfare and refers to conflicts in which a small group of combatants including, but not limited to, armed civilians use military tactics, such as ambushes, sabotage, raids, the element of surprise, and extraordinary mobility to harass a larger and...
, and on all the technological instruments that they use. Because of the extreme importance of this latter component, the IFAS analyzes nuclear proliferation
Nuclear proliferation
Nuclear proliferation is a term now used to describe the spread of nuclear weapons, fissile material, and weapons-applicable nuclear technology and information, to nations which are not recognized as "Nuclear Weapon States" by the Treaty on the Nonproliferation of Nuclear Weapons, also known as the...
, chemical
Chemical warfare
Chemical warfare involves using the toxic properties of chemical substances as weapons. This type of warfare is distinct from Nuclear warfare and Biological warfare, which together make up NBC, the military acronym for Nuclear, Biological, and Chemical...
and bio-bacteriological
Biological warfare
Biological warfare is the use of biological toxins or infectious agents such as bacteria, viruses, and fungi with intent to kill or incapacitate humans, animals or plants as an act of war...
risks, and strategies connected to missile
Missile
Though a missile may be any thrown or launched object, it colloquially almost always refers to a self-propelled guided weapon system.-Etymology:The word missile comes from the Latin verb mittere, meaning "to send"...
s and anti-missiles
Missile defense
Missile defense is a system, weapon, or technology involved in the detection, tracking, interception and destruction of attacking missiles. Originally conceived as a defence against nuclear-armed Intercontinental ballistic missiles , its application has broadened to include shorter-ranged...
. as well as the development of military activity in space
Space warfare
Space warfare is combat that takes place in outer space, i.e. outside the atmosphere. Space warfare therefore includes ground-to-space warfare, such as attacking satellites from the Earth, as well as space-to-space warfare, such as satellites attacking satellites.It does not include the use of...
. IFAS activities comprise all the fields connected with nuclear warfare
Nuclear warfare
Nuclear warfare, or atomic warfare, is a military conflict or political strategy in which nuclear weaponry is detonated on an opponent. Compared to conventional warfare, nuclear warfare can be vastly more destructive in range and extent of damage...
, added to which is research on the conflicts and terrorism
Terrorism
Terrorism is the systematic use of terror, especially as a means of coercion. In the international community, however, terrorism has no universally agreed, legally binding, criminal law definition...
in the Middle East
Middle East
The Middle East is a region that encompasses Western Asia and Northern Africa. It is often used as a synonym for Near East, in opposition to Far East...
.
The institute studies procedures for controlling organized violence and returning to a state of peace, and the role of international organizations
International Organization
International Organization is a peer-reviewed academic journal that covers the entire field of international affairs. Subject areas include: foreign policies, international relations, international and comparative political economy, security policies, environmental disputes and resolutions,...
in managing and resolving crises. In this perspective, it gives special attention to information operations, psychological action, and conflict mediation.
The IFAS approach consists in combining field studies (Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
, Iran
Iran
Iran , officially the Islamic Republic of Iran , is a country in Southern and Western Asia. The name "Iran" has been in use natively since the Sassanian era and came into use internationally in 1935, before which the country was known to the Western world as Persia...
, Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
, Palestine
Palestine
Palestine is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various adjoining lands....
, etc.) with theoretical considerations on the modern forms of war as linked to the historical and anthropological constants governing human confrontations.
Books
- La prolifération nucléaire, coll. Que sais-je ?, Presses universitaires de France, Paris 1995, 127 pp.
- La guerre psychologique, Economica, Paris, 1997, 423 pp.
- Demain la guerre : une visite guidée, Calmann-Lévy, Paris, 1997, 257 pp.
- La société sans la guerre, Ed. Desclée de Brouwer, Paris, 1998, 329 pp.
- La réserve et l'attente : l'avenir des armes nucléaires françaises, with General Lucien Poirier, Economica, Paris, 2001, 329 pp.
- Les volontaires de la mort : l’arme du suicide, coll. Essais Bayard, Bayard Presse, Paris, 2003, 295 pp.
- Pourquoi les guerres ? Un siècle de géopolitique, coll. 20/21, d’un siècle à l’autre, Ed. Larousse, Paris, 2002, 192 pp.
- Pourquoi le terrorisme ?, coll. Pourquoi, Ed. Larousse, Paris, 2006, 160 pp.
- Iran, l'état de crise, coll. Tropiques, Karthala, Paris, 2010, 252 pp.
Proposal Paper
"World Governance of Civilian and Military Nuclear Energy", Proposal Paper, Forum for a new World Governance, March 2010, 64 pp.Articles
- "La mesure de l’homme, essai sur l’imaginaire raciste", Cahiers du Cinéma, N° 315, September 1980.
- "American Strategy, Space, Strategic Negotiations", United Nations Institute for Disarmament Research Newsletter, Vol. 3, The Institute, New York, 1980.
- "In Search of a Missing Link: Nucelar Terrorism and Nuclear Smugglng", unpublished manuscript, Centro A. Volta, Como (Italy), 1994.
- "U.S. Hegemony and NATO", Defense News, Washington DC, March 8–14, 1999.
- "French Offer New Path", Defense News, Washington DC, August 6–12, 2001.
Contributions to collective works
- "Two Fictions Concerning Hate", with Jean-Louis Comolli in Jenkins, Stephen (ed.), Fritz Lang: The Image and the Look, British Film Institute, London, 1981.
- "Suicide Bombing: A possibility for France?", in Sharpe, Mary (ed.), Suicide Bombers: The Psychological, Religious and Other Imperatives, NATO Science for Peace and Security Series, Proceedings of the NATO Advanced Research Workshop on Suicide Bombers: The Psychological, Religious and Other Imperatives, IOS Press, Amsterdam, 2008.
- "Suicide Operations: Between War and Terrorism", in Gérard Chaliand and Arnaud BlinArnaud BlinArnaud Blin is a French historian and political scientist. He has focused mainly on international relations and the history of war and peace, including the history of terrorism. Although educated in the United States , he has published almost exclusively in French. His History of Terrorism Arnaud...
, The History of Terrorism: From Antiquity to Al Qaeda, University of California Press, Berkeley and Los Angeles, 2007.
Selection of articles by François Géré on the Internet
On the IFAS Web site:- "Iran : une crise accoucheuse de stabilité", February 20, 2005.
- "Pour un moratoire sur les sanctions à l’égard de l’Iran", January 8, 2010.
- "La Bombe et la mémoire : une commémoration pour l’avenir", February 17, 2010
On the Web site of Le Monde diplomatique:
- "Imperium américain", November 1997.
On the Web site of Le Figaro:
- "Derrière le Hezbollah, la Syrie est au bout de la ligne de mire israélienne", July 18, 2006.
- "Les bénéfices d'un dialogue de paix avec l'Iran", July 22, 2008.
- "Pour qu'elle ne soit pas morte en vain... ", on the assassination of Benazir Bhutto on December 27, 2007, January 10, 2008.
- "Afghanistan : cinq raisons de rester, six moyens d'y parvenir", September 23, 2008.
Selection of interviews of François Géré on the Internet
- "L’enjeu, c'était le contrôle de la population", interview by David Servenay for Radio France International in the framework of the fiftieth anniversary of the Algerian insurrection, October 29, 2004.
- "Interview : François Géré s’exprime à propos des armes de destruction massive et du terrorisme", for interet-general.info, by Kyra Dupont Troubetzkoy, August 7, 2005.
- "La démarche américaine mène à une impasse", interview by Arnaud de la Grange for Le Figaro.fr, September 1, 2006.
Selection of videos of François Géré on the Internet
- On the NATO summit, as guest of the program “6h30/10” on French public radio station France Inter, April 3, 2009 (10’29").
- Les 100 jours d'Obama, interview on Sahar TV, May 1, 2009 (2’40").
- Doit-on craindre l’Iran ?, Institut de Relations Internationales et Stratégiques (IRIS), June 1, 2009 (4’23").