Les armes cèdent-elles toujours à la toge ?

In the wake of the terrorist attacks that shook France in 2015 and 2016 the media have devoted much attention to a diffuse but persistent sense that liberal democracies are increasingly militarized. The use of armed forces has expanded considerably under a framework of antiterrorist action, with substantial political and social consequences.  Whether it be to throttle an outside threat or a risk at home, assist the police in their investigation of the Gilets Jaunes (Yellow Vests) protests, take on a role of social integration, as in the past, via a universal national service, or shore up national cohesion in the time of pandemic disease. 

Civilian–military relations in France are marked by the heritage of deep-seated mistrust between political authorities and military leaders that dates to the very earliest days of the French Republic. In this context observers and practitioners alike have many questions regarding the new place of armies in democratic societies. This collection of papers stemming from SWS research is a milestone in the field of French-language publications. For the first time, a panel of ten academics addresses the evolution of the roles and uses of armed forces in the context of antiterrorist action and in a world characterized by the break-down of traditional poles and categories, such as war and peace, defense abroad and security at home, containment of threats and risk management. In this perspective the canonical notions of authority, legitimacy, and the continuity of the state are examined.

This work renews discussion of the democratic control of armed forces, in an interdisciplinary framework spanning law, history, political science, and sociology, and with a comparative approach that covers France, Germany, the United Kingdom and the United States. The papers in this collection emphasize the methodological and empiric aspects of surveys of defense and security policies.