Prénom de l'expert

Thierry

Nom de l'expert

VIRCOULON

Associate Research Fellow, Coordinator of the Observatory of Central and Southern Africa, Sub-Saharan Africa Center, Ifri

Research Areas:

Risk and conflict analysis
Security sector reform
Governance of natural resources
Central Africa, Southern Africa, Great Lakes region
Relations between China and Africa

Sub-Saharan Africa Center

Thierry Vircoulon is a graduate from the French Public Management Institute (ENA) and the Institute for Political Studies in Paris. He holds a masters degree in Political Science from Sorbonne University. He has previously worked for the French Foreign Ministry and the European Commission, notably in South Africa and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Most of his work is focusing on governance and SSR. He is also part of the OECD group of experts on statebuilding and peacebuilding.

Support independent French research

Ifri, a foundation recognized as being of public utility, relies largely on private donors – companies and individuals – to guarantee its sustainability and intellectual independence. Through their funding, donors help maintain the Institute's position among the world's leading think tanks. By benefiting from an internationally recognized network and expertise, donors refine their understanding of geopolitical risk and its consequences on global politics and the economy. In 2024, Ifri will support more than 70 French and foreign companies and organizations.

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Analysis from Thierry VIRCOULON

Publications

Articles from Politique Etrangère

Will There Be an Authoritarian Resurgence in Africa?

04 June 2019

Elections are held on a regular basis in various African countries, but democracy is far from flourishing.

Victor MAGNANI Thierry VIRCOULON

Papers

Reflections on 17 years of UN presence in the Democratic Republic of Congo

26 April 2016

Since 2013 and the victory of the Congolese armed forces and the United Nations over the last serious threat against the regime - the 23 March (M23) movement-, the question of the relevance of the UN presence in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is raised again.

Marc-André LAGRANGE Thierry VIRCOULON

Papers

Burundi: Unravelling the Peace

01 October 2015

Since achieving independence in 1962, Burundi has experienced several episodes of civil war, the last of which came to end when the Arusha Accord was signed in 2000. The gradual return to peace in the wake of the Arusha Accord has been jeopardised by Pierre Nkurunziza’s announcement on 25th April 2015 that he would stand as a candidate for the presidency.

Thierry VIRCOULON Solène BRABANT

Papers

Andris Piebalgs, European Commissioner for Development

The European Union's Development Aid : from Development to Security, the Example of the European Development Fund

01 November 2014

In the course of its institutional development and the expansion of its activities, the European Union (EU) has tended to pile up rather than to rationalize its policies, creating a financial tool per objective. As a result, the European funds have become a labyrinth, for which management costs are high.

Dominique LECOMPTE Thierry VIRCOULON

Papers

Thinking and Anticipating the Socio-Economic Impacts of the Humanitarian Response in the Central African Republic

02 July 2015

Nowadays, the Central African Republic (CAR) is a country dependent on international aid.

Thierry VIRCOULON Charlotte ARNAUD

Articles from Politique Etrangère

Regionalizing Maritime Security in the Gulf of Guinea: A Short-term Solution

01 September 2015

Piracy and armed robbery at sea are a threat to security in the hydrocarbon-rich Gulf of Guinea.

Thierry VIRCOULON Violette TOURNIER

Editorials

China and Africa: the Honeymoon is Over

20 July 2015

For the new geopolitical reality called “Chinafrica”, the future may not be destined to be as radiant as the official win-win rhetoric would have us believe. Although the beginning of the century was notable for the exponential development of Sino-African trade (which grew from $10 billion in 2000 to $210 billion in 2013), a series of emerging problems seem to be signalling that the Sino-African honeymoon is over and that we are back with the harsh realities of the globalised economy.

Thierry VIRCOULON Victoria MADONNA

Papers

How to Create a Public Policy in a Failed State: The Challenge of Securing Land Rights in Eastern Congo

22 October 2012

In the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) 32 years of dictatorship and almost ten years of war have bled the country dry and left its administration incapable of providing the population with basic services and the government incapable of applying or even formulating public policy.

Thierry VIRCOULON Florence LIEGEOIS

Papers

Violence in the Bush: How International Peacebuilding Faces Land-use Conflicts

26 February 2010

Following the conflict in Ituri (1999-2003), the International Community deployed different peacebuilding programs in this north-eastern district of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Built around a concept of democratic transition at the national level, these programs have not always acknowledged the scale of local conflicts and the fragility of local institutions, which are both the targets and the relay of such programs.

Thierry VIRCOULON Florence LIEGEOIS

Editorials

What are the prospects after the nomination of Zimbabwe's national unity government?

24 April 2009

Summary: Following repeated bouts of political violence, which were exacerbated by the presidential and legislative elections of 29 March 2008, opposition members and the government of Zimbabwe undertook lengthy and difficult negotiations to put an end to the unrest. These negotiations resulted in the creation of a new national unity government, which was sworn in on 13 February 2009. This marks the end of a long political battle between the regime of President Robert Mugabe and his opponents, of whom the new Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai had been the main spokesman. In a country on the brink of economic collapse, the new government faces enormous challenges. The economic and social balance remains precarious, and the political climate is still fraught with many rivalries. Thierry Vircoulon, associate researcher of IFRI's Africa Program comments on the crisis in Zimbabwe today, and delivers some thoughts on what we may expect from the new national unity government.

Thierry VIRCOULON Thomas PATRIOTA