President of the Paris Forum on peace, Justin Vaïsse, 45 years, is a historian and chair since 2013 of the Center for analysis, forecasting, and strategy of the ministry of foreign affairs. He returns to The World on commemorations of 11 November and on the missions of the forum, which will be held in the Grande Halle de La Villette, in Paris.
What do these commemorations ?
We’re going to commemorate an armistice, the memory of which is ambiguous : the weapons are silent on the western front, but the settlement of Versailles inaugurated a peace wobbly, which lasts only twenty years old. The league of nations [SDN], minus the support of America, does not, in the 1930s, reacting to the aggressions of authoritarian regimes.
We do not relive, certainly not the same story, but the resonances with the 1930s are disturbing, and I believe that the president Macron is sensitive : in the wake of an economic crisis, border closures, trade wars and monetary threat, migrants and refugees are the political societies, under voltage, and so on, Especially, a vicious circle is established between the rise of populist and nationalist on one side and the crisis of global governance on the other. Everyone believed that he would do better alone, consolidating its sovereignty. But neither the climate, nor the Internet, nor the multinational corporations nor the migrants do not know borders.
It is thus an illusion, but that has the effect of boosting in return for the inadequacy of our institutions and collective rules. The consciousness of these perils also explains why so many heads of State, government and international organization to come to the 11 of November, in Paris, and why they will participate to the Paris Forum on peace, which will be held in the Grande Halle de La Villette.
The treaty of Versailles was it not the seed of this failure ?
Without any doubt : “A…
