Research & analysis

Rigorous, independent analysis on global security, strategic intelligence and geopolitical risk.

Inaugural report · No. 01April 2026

The Sword and the Shield

Political assassinations and the evolution of close protection, from Antiquity to the present.

8 parts · 68 case studies · 150 sources · ~40,000 words · EN / FR

In-depth research papers, analytical notes and policy briefs on global security, strategic intelligence and geopolitical risk by Institut Vidocq. All publications are available in English and French.

Research Paper · 2026Available

The Sahel After the Western Withdrawal: Security Vacuums, New Actors and the Future of Stability

A comprehensive analysis of the evolving security landscape in the Sahel following the departure of French and international forces from Mali, Burkina Faso and Niger. Examines the role of Russian PMCs, regional coalitions and the structural causes of instability.

Alexandre Benalla · IV·NOTE·001 Read the note →

Analytical Note · 2026Available

Africa Corps, Wagner and Private Military Companies: Mapping Security Actors in Africa

A detailed mapping of private military and security companies operating across the African continent. Analyses their strategies, state relationships, impact on local populations and the emerging regulatory landscape.

Alexandre Benalla · IV·NOTE·002 Read the note →

Policy Brief · 2026Available

The Golden Triangle: UAE, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the New Security Paradigm in the Gulf

An examination of how Gulf states have transformed from energy exporters into full-spectrum security actors, intelligence hubs and strategic investors, and what this means for regional and global security architecture.

Alexandre Benalla · IV·NOTE·003 Read the note →

Research Paper · 2026Available

Turkey in Africa: Influence Strategy and Security Implications

Turkey's expanding footprint in Africa, from defence cooperation and drone exports to soft-power investments. An analysis of Ankara's strategic ambitions and their implications for European and American interests.

Alexandre Benalla · IV·NOTE·004 Read the note →

Analytical Note · 2026Available

The Quiet Foothold: Pre-Positioning, Critical Infrastructure and the New Geometry of Cyber Conflict

State cyber competition has shifted from data theft to durable pre-positioning inside critical infrastructure and cognitive contestation, and Western frameworks remain calibrated for the wrong war.

Alexandre Benalla · IV·NOTE·005 Read the note →

Analytical Note · 2026Available

The Compliance Frontier: Economic Security as the New Theatre of Statecraft

Coercion now begins with a list of names, a price cap and a customs code. Economic security has become national security, fought through sanctions, supply chains and finance.

Alexandre Benalla · IV·NOTE·006 Read the note →

Policy Brief · 2026Available

Chokepoints, Not Pirates: Maritime Security as Economic Security

Maritime risk has migrated from classic piracy to fixed, cheaply attackable vulnerabilities, chokepoints and subsea cables, where the currency is cost, not violence.

Alexandre Benalla · IV·NOTE·007 Read the note →

Research Paper · 2026Available

The Refining Chokepoint: Critical Minerals as Instruments of Coercion

The bottleneck is not reserves but refining. Between 2023 and 2025 China turned its midstream dominance over rare earths, cobalt and lithium into calibrated instruments of pressure.

Alexandre Benalla · IV·NOTE·008 Read the note →

Research Paper · 2026Available

The Front Has Moved West: Ukraine, Hybrid War and the Re-Arming of Europe

The war has reached into Europe itself, Baltic seabeds, civilian airspace, sabotage, while governments re-arm at a pace unseen since 1945. The contest has become continental.

Alexandre Benalla · IV·NOTE·009 Read the note →

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