La réactivation des Routes de la soie par la Chine : une nouvelle marginalisation de l’Europe

Abstract

The historic Silk Roads, which have connected East and West for centuries, have always had fundamental political, economic, and cultural dimensions. It is interesting to witness the reactivation of these roads, especially by China, just as the heirs of the three other historic empires of these roads (Ottoman, Persian, and Russian) are resurging in new forms and as part of a longer history. The question is whether this re-emergence of the Silk Roads will contribute to a balance of peace-producing powers or prove to be an element of further disturbance in a world already undergoing deep reconfiguration. One thing seems evident: the past and present existence of the Silk Roads act in a peripheral position occupied by Europe in the Eurasian space. As a first step, we will return to the imaginaries related to the Silk Roads in order to contextualize the ultimately marginal role that Europe could play. Then, we will see how the current roads also contribute to a peripheralization of Europe.