About
Thierry Vircoulon is an independent consultant and has been associated with Ifri since 2006. He coordinates Ifri's Central and Southern Africa Observatory and works with the Global Initiative against Transnational Organised Crime (South Africa).
Latest publication
From the instrumentalization of Militia by the State to a Militia State
- By Thierry Vircoulon
- and EISMENA
In EISMENA (2026/1 N° 5)
Most viewed articles
United Arab Emirates and Sudan: How a Small Country Fuels a Large War
- By Thierry Vircoulon,
- Text translated into English by EISMENA
In EISMENA (2025/4 n° 4)
Is Africa heading back towards authoritarianism?
- By Victor Magnani
- and Thierry Vircoulon
In Politique étrangère (2019/2 Summer Issue)
Security in the Gulf of Guinea: A Regional Struggle
In Politique étrangère (2015/3 Autumn Issue)
Co-authors
Articles
From the instrumentalization of Militia by the State to a Militia State
- By Thierry Vircoulon
- and EISMENA
In EISMENA (2026/1 N° 5)
United Arab Emirates and Sudan: How a Small Country Fuels a Large War
- By Thierry Vircoulon,
- Text translated into English by EISMENA
In EISMENA (2025/4 n° 4)
Disrupted Development in the Congo: The Fragile Foundations of the African Mining Consensus. Ben Radley. Oxford, Oxford University Press, 2024, 224 pages
In Politique étrangère (2024/2 Summer)
The outsourcing of the right of asylum
In Esprit (2022/6 June)
Book reviews
- By Jolyon Howorth,
- Thomas Gomart,
- Dominique David,
- et al.
In Politique étrangère (2022/2 Summer)
The sand upon which we build
French policy in Sahel
- By Jean-Baptiste Jeangène Vilmer,
- Denis Tull,
- Thierry Vircoulon,
- et al.
In Esprit (2021/10 October)
When Central Sahel meets Central Africa, geopolitical thoughts on the Central African conflict
In Hérodote (2020/4 No 179)
When Africa will rise
- Interview with Thierry Vircoulon,
- conducted by Lorenzo Alvisi
- and Anne-Lorraine Bujon
In Esprit (2020/7 July August)
Is Africa heading back towards authoritarianism?
- By Victor Magnani
- and Thierry Vircoulon
In Politique étrangère (2019/2 Summer Issue)
“Post-conflict” democratization in Central Africa: An anatomy of failure
In Politique étrangère (2019/2 Summer Issue)
Security in the Gulf of Guinea: A Regional Struggle
In Politique étrangère (2015/3 Autumn Issue)
Ethics and Trade in Raw Materials
In Études (2011/12 Volume 415)
From Citadel under Siege to Continental Vision: South African Strategic Thought
In Revue internationale et stratégique (2011/2 No 82)
Governance in South Africa
Between Populism, Neo-Liberalism and Social-Democracy
In Études (2010/6 Volume 412)
Raw Materials, International Regulations and Rentier States
In Études (2009/5 Volume 410)
Introduction
The Democratic Republic of Congo: Issues of Post-conflict Reconstruction
In Afrique contemporaine (2008/3 No 227)
China, Newcomer to the Congolese Reconstruction Process
In Afrique contemporaine (2008/3 No 227)
Marc-André Lagrange and Thierry Vircoulon: Zimbabwe: Reflections on a Lasting Dictatorship
In Politique étrangère (2008/3 Autumn Issue)
Accept the Fish or Learn How to Fish?
The 2006 Humanitarian Crisis in Northern Kenya
In Études (2007/5 Volume 406)
The Internationalized State
New Figure of Globalization in Africa
In Études (2007/1 Volume 406)
Regulation of informal transport put to the test by collective taxi wars in South Africa
- By Roland Lomme
- and Thierry Vircoulon
In Afrique contemporaine (2006/2 No 218)
Municipal elections in South Africa: A noticable decrease in support for the ANC
In Afrique contemporaine (2006/2 No 218)
The ambiguities of international intervention in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
In Politique africaine (2005/2 No 98)
When Crime gets into Politics: The Politicization of the Crime Issue in the New South Africa
In Raisons politiques (2005/1 No 17)
The New Republic of South Africa
A Transformation with Varying Geometries
In Études (2004/12 Volume 401)
The 2004 elections in South Africa: Lessons learned from a poll with a known outcome
In Afrique contemporaine (2004/2 No 210)
Introduction
Ten years of the New South Africa: On the crossroads between economic and social concerns
In Afrique contemporaine (2004/2 No 210)
Issues
L'Afrique du Sud à l'heure de Jacob Zuma
La fin de la nation arc-en-ciel ?
- By Michel Prum
- and Thierry Vircoulon