At the heart of a conflict-ridden Middle East, Jordan is a haven of stability. This tour de force intrigues and raises questions. Theconduct of a constant realpolitik and the exploitation of its own assets give the Jordanian state the capacity to avoid all the specific pitfalls of the region.

The Eastern Partnership is a relevant element of the European Union's strategic vision, contributing to the coherence of its Black Sea Neighbourhood Policy. In spite of the criticisms that are sometimes levelled at it, it pursues a logic of stabilisation through the sharing of standards and values with its partners, and develops a framework that is evolving and adapted to take account of the structural issues at stake on Europe's markets.

In reminding us of the historical reality and the human drama of this tragic episode, Françoise Thibaut reminds us above all that we must not forget the Asian dimension of the last world conflict, of which we celebrated this summer the 70th anniversary of the complete cessation of hostilities^.

Dien Bien Phu has already been the subject of numerous writings, analyses and publications of all kinds. Following last June's issue 40, the Cahiers are pleased to publish the second part of the remarkable study on this epic battle by Jean-François Daguzan, researcher and assistant director of the Fondation pour la recherche stratégique. Published last year on the Diploweb.com website on the occasion of the 60th ^{anniversary of} the battle, both a historical fresco and a strategic analysis, this reference text highlights episodes and lessons from the battle that may have never been seen before.

Against all expectations, interest in the military aspects of the American Civil War (1861-1865) remained secondary for France during the Second Empire. While a Western nation was cruelly experiencing a new form of warfare - modern and total - prefiguring the two World Wars in some respects, the French army did not perceive the unprecedented transformations that this conflict brought in the art of warfare.

Environmental issues are not just an environmental whim. They are a geopolitical reality, a source of conflict and a source of threats to our security. Taking an interest in them means staying one step ahead by ensuring the availability of defence tools that are less dependent on resources, a guarantee of operational effectiveness. Thus, a growing number of modern armies, first and foremost the US Army, are carrying out a global reflection on these issues which, in the light of their recent operational experience, aims to increase their effectiveness.

The author gives us an overview of the actions underway on this subject.

Battalion Commander LUISETTI received the Leclerc Foundation Award for this article.

Armies are making increasing use of external consulting firms. Such recourse would ensure the best possible choices and successful reforms. In fact, the use of in-house resources would often be more appropriate than relying on private organizations.

"Counselling is an innocent drug to the giver, rarely beneficial to the taker".

Simon de Bignicourt, Pensées et réflexions philosophiques (1755)

Recent years have seen an increase in cluster-type competitiveness clusters. These are groupings of SMEs and/or SMIs that take the decision to combine their know-how in order to provide a competitive advantage to at least one of them, and sometimes even to the entire cluster. In the case of defence clusters, the aim is clearly to be able to respond in their own name to public and international calls for tenders.

We can therefore ask ourselves the question of the impact of the rise in power of these clusters on our defence industry: is it a threat to the large groups, a necessary competition to their oligopolistic offer or a credible alternative to their power? In reality, they are positioning themselves as an indispensable complement to a global industrial offer.

"France's defence must be French. It's a necessity that hasn't always been very familiar in recent years. It is essential that it should become so again. A country like France, if it happens to go to war, it must be its war. If it were otherwise, our country would be at odds with everything it has been since its origins, with its role, with the esteem it has for itself, with its soul. Naturally, French defence would, if necessary, be combined with that of other countries".

General de Gaulle's speech to the Saint-Cyr Military School on 3 November 1959

A media topic par excellence on the quality of life at work, psychosocial risks have invaded the field of prevention at work. In this environment, the Ministry of Defence can no longer afford not to think in depth about psychosocial risks in order to study the approach(es) best suited to its functioning and particularities.

The current proliferation of intelligent robotic systems, with their increasing autonomy within our environment, raises essential legal, ethical, organizational and strategic issues that must be taken into account now in order to control the use of this equipment as well as possible.