Alerte avancée et retour à Albion : l’avenir de la dissuasion nucléaire française ? - Le Rubicon

The article examines the future of French nuclear deterrence in a changing security environment, considering advanced alert postures and a possible symbolic or material return to assets like the Albion plateau to bolster strategic credibility. It argues that France must adapt its deterrent while preserving autonomous decision-making in response to current threats. 

 

Nigeria : sous le coup de menaces d’intervention militaire américaine, le président Tinubu sur la corde raide - Le Rubicon 

U.S.–Nigeria ties have worsened after Washington threatened military action unless Abuja curbs violence against Christians, putting President Tinubu in a tough spot. Nigeria denies religious persecution claims while trying to preserve cooperation on security.

 

Latest Pentagon Report: China’s Military Advancing Amid Churn 

The latest Pentagon China Military Power Report finds that despite leadership purges and internal disruptions, China’s military continues advancing toward Xi Jinping’s 2027 goals. It highlights significant gains in nuclear posture, long-range strike, and coercive operations focused on Taiwan.

 

Who Stress-Tests U.S. War Plans? 

The article argues that the U.S. military spends heavily predicting adversaries’ moves but hardly tests the soundness of its own plans due to a decline in red teaming. It urges revitalizing systematic assumption-testing, especially as AI is integrated into planning, to expose biases and blind spots.

 

Gamified War in Ukraine: Points, Drones, and the New Moral Economy of Killing 

The article explains how Ukraine’s war effort now uses gamified systems where battlefield actions—especially drone strikes, reporting, and evacuations—are translated into points that affect resource allocation and operational priorities. This digital architecture reshapes participation and incentives in warfare while raising ethical and legal concerns about modern combat.

 

Why Europeans should DARE* to make New Year’s resolutions 

The article urges Europeans to use 2026 as a moment to adopt “New Year’s resolutions” in policy, focusing on diversifying industrial partners, boosting competitiveness, and strengthening resilience amid global challenges, especially from China. These priorities are framed as vital for Europe’s economic and strategic survival, not mere symbolic goals.

 

2026: The year we stop pretending it’s just a phase

The article argues that 2026 will be marked by further decay of the liberal order, hollowed-out institutions, weaponised international ties, and a persistent illiberal wave. It outlines ten key geopolitical trends shaping the year, from European democratic erosion to global strategic shifts. 

 

Merkposten: Schweden steckt zusätzlich 15 Mrd Kronen in regionale Luftverteidigung – Augen geradeaus! 

Sweden will invest an additional SEK 15 billion to develop a territorial air defence to protect both military units and civilian infrastructure, marking a shift from purely military air defence. This move aims to bolster national protection against aerial threats, drawing lessons from the Ukraine war.

 

The Tropical Forest Forever Facility and Its Role in International Forest Finance 

The Tropical Forest Forever Facility (TFFF), launched at COP30, is a blended finance mechanism designed to mobilize public and private capital to support long-term tropical forest conservation and restoration, complementing existing forest finance tools. It aims to provide results-based financial support while reconciling climate, biodiversity and local community rights.

 

Trumping Venezuela: Sechs Gedanken zur politischen Bedeutung der US-Militärintervention | DGAP
The article argues that the US military intervention in Venezuela on January 3, 2026 marks a new phase in Trump’s foreign policy, signaling a return to great-power spheres of influence and raising strategic and normative questions for Europe and the international order. 

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Arctique : contourner la Russie par le nord [Dans le Viseur #78] - Le Rubicon

As Arctic issues draw growing attention, Le Collimateur recounts a rare mission: the 2018 navigation of the Northeast Passage by a non-Russian military vessel. The commander of the BSAM Rhône reflects on this exceptional and symbolic operation.