2025

Direction the Bering Strait, the closest point of contact between Russia and the United States. It separates Chukotka, a Russian autonomous district of Alaska, by 85 km. Since 1945, the Bering Strait has been the barometer of relations between the two great powers. A look back at this region of the Arctic, where the major issues of our century are at stake.

Some call it the "Sea of Japan", others the "East Sea". This strategic maritime space, bordered by Russia, Japan and the two Koreas, is much more than a simple crossing point: it is at the center of rivalries between world and regional powers. Two camps face each other: on one side the axis Pyongyang, Moscow, Beijing, on the other Tokyo, Seoul and the United States...

"The Underside of the Cards" takes you on a cruise on a river at the heart of the news since the Russian invasion of Ukraine: the Dnieper. From the Zaporizhia nuclear power plant to the Kakhovka Dam, Europe's longest river is both a front line and a strategic node in the war between Ukraine and Russia.

On the southern border of the Gaza Strip, the Sinai Peninsula covers more than 60,000 km2. A "gray zone" at the gates of the Hamas-Israel war, with trafficking of all kinds, armed jihadist groups, tunnel networks and a local conflict between the Egyptian army and the Islamists.

Rising water levels are one of the consequences of climate change which will change the map of the world. Different countries are trying to adapt to it with very varied strategies. "The Underside of the Maps" offers you a world tour of the most vulnerable coastlines and solutions designed to best preserve humanity.

In the heart of Rome, this 44-hectare enclave is home not only to the spiritual center of the Catholic Church, but also to a leading diplomatic player on the international scene. Despite its tiny size, the Vatican has established itself as a key player in world affairs. A small state, but a giant of diplomacy and Catholic "soft power".

The war in Ukraine has intensified military and economic cooperation between Russia and North Korea. Arms deliveries from Pyongyang, transfer of Russian technologies and presence of North Korean soldiers on the Donbass front: an alliance that destabilizes Europe and Northeast Asia. A look back at a relationship born after the Second World War.

Annexation and colonization of Xinjiang, repression in Tibet, Korean War, conflict with India: the wars led by China were multiple. Today, with a "peace power" narrative, Xi Jinping's China claims not to wage war but to defend world peace, and to remain neutral in the conflicts of other countries.

How did the United Arab Emirates become the key geopolitical player in a Middle East in full reorganization? An exceptional edition of "Dessous des Cartes", lasting 35 minutes, filmed in Abu Dhabi.

The smartphone is an issue of sovereignty, security and technological control between the American and Chinese giants. At the center of this battle: semiconductors, essential components of all electronic objects. However, this market is dominated by Taiwan, an ally of Washington and a target of Beijing. The smartphone is at the heart of the major dividing lines of the 21st century.

The overseas territories, from Reunion to the Antilles, via Guyana and Mayotte, represent a major geopolitical asset for France. But economic, social and demographic fragilities accentuate local tensions and inequalities with France. Return to diverse and complex territories with multiple challenges.

In 2025, Chancellor Friedrich Merz takes the reins of a Germany under pressure. As the far right advances and the migration issue divides the population, it must remilitarize the country and manage a failing economy. How can we maintain Germany's stability and confront the challenges that are redefining the country's role in a changing Europe?

Poland is becoming a key player in the European Union. Thanks to its strategic geographical position, its impressive economic growth, its key role in the defense of the continent against Russia and the voluntarism of its Prime Minister Donald Tusk. Challenges remain, including its declining demographics and internal political tensions.

Russia has been at war since its large-scale invasion of Ukraine more than three years ago. Military strategy, geopolitical influence, information battle: Vladimir Putin is using all means to defeat Ukraine. How does its economy react to international sanctions and the constraints of war?

A maritime area rich in natural resources, the Gulf of Guinea extends over more than 2 million km2 from Liberia to Angola. A nerve center of the oil and gas trade in Africa, its assets attract the desire of foreign powers, and provoke increasingly frequent acts of piracy.

In recent years, the French army has no longer been welcome in several African countries. From Mali to Niger, from Burkina Faso to the Central African Republic, French troops are now asked to leave. What place can France still hope to hold on this strategic continent? And what future for the links forged over the decades?

"The Underside of the Cards" looks at a drama that is playing out silently before our eyes: the extinction of countless species of animals. Entire swaths of wildlife are disappearing at an unprecedented rate on every continent. What are the major sources of disappearance? What does the global map of threatened species reveal? And what else can we save?

China, the world's second largest economy, is currently going through turbulence: real estate in crisis, consumption at half mast, aging population, rising youth unemployment. All against a backdrop of heightened rivalry with Donald Trump's United States, which is relaunching the trade war.

Space, once the scene of the Cold War between the United States and the USSR, is today becoming the terrain of a new confrontation, where competition is still taking place between the great powers, but also between billionaire entrepreneurs.

Since the invasion of Ukraine, the shadow of a new Russian imperialism has hung over the countries of Eastern Europe. Poland, Norway, Finland and the Baltic states all fear Putin's expansionism. These countries with different historical trajectories and strategic realities have a common challenge and are organizing themselves to resist a threat perceived as existential.

Europe is forced to rethink its security and strategic autonomy under the pressure of Vladimir Putin's wars and Donald Trump's return to the White House. A historic challenge to which European allies united within the European Union and/or NATO must respond by coordinating their efforts. Will Europe be able to ensure its own security?

This week, "The Underside of the Cards" takes you to Syria, a country which is going through a pivotal moment in its history after the fall of the regime of Bashar al-Assad. After more than fifty years of dictatorship, it was Ahmed al-Sharaa, a former jihadist, who took the reins of a devastated state. A new chapter is opening, but peace remains fragile in this country with multiple fractures.

Azerbaijan, a strategic country in the Caucasus, is at the crossroads of Europe and Asia. Rich in its hydrocarbons and its geographical positioning, it has established itself as an important regional player by developing partnerships with Turkey, Russia, Israel and the EU. It is also an authoritarian regime dominated by the Aliyev dynasty for more than thirty years.

Sudan has been plunged for more than two years into a deadly war too often forgotten, triggered by the rivalry between two generals, Al-Burhan and Hemetti. After decades of dictatorship and a painful split with South Sudan, the country is experiencing a new tragedy, marked by abuses against civilians and a massive displacement of populations.

Certain bodies, led by the EU, are trying to organize regulations to limit the risks linked to the various uses of AI. Chip wars, patent races, competition to attract elite talent and engineers, data control via gigantic data centers with serious ecological implications. This battle for global leadership in artificial intelligence is being fought on several fronts.

Five years after Brexit came into force, the United Kingdom and the European Union have never really cut ties. Despite the efforts of Brexiters to promote “Global Britain” around the Commonwealth, Brussels, Paris and Berlin remain essential across the Channel. Between trade agreements and diplomatic partnerships, the link between the island and the continent remains.

The great Moroccan ambition is to become a center of modernity, a bridge between Europe and Africa and a key player on the African continent. Between colossal infrastructure projects and hosting the 2030 World Cup, Mohammed VI's Morocco wants to establish itself as a leading economic and diplomatic power.

Faced with the Russian threat which is becoming clearer on its border, in the Arctic, the Barents Sea and around the Svalbard archipelago, the Norwegian government has launched a massive rearmament: a future tripling of its personnel within the NATO, investments in naval defense, strengthening of its northern garrisons.

Led by Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman (MBS), Saudi Arabia is a key player in the Middle East. The kingdom is trying to shed its conservative image by diversifying its economy. At the heart of this project: the "Saudi Vision 2030" plan and its pharaonic projects such as that of the futuristic city Neom or the tourist area of Al-Ula.