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Atlas Limits Research Desk
Atlas Limits’ editorial and analytical desk.
162 published articlesPublished articles
A World Without a Centre
For several centuries, the international system almost always seemed to have a centre. It was not necessarily an uncontested centre, nor even a power capable of imposing its will everywhere. But somewhere there was a state, a group of powers or a set of institutions dominant enou
Power: What Still Makes a Great Country?
For centuries, the answer seemed almost self-evident. A great country was a large country, a populous country, one capable of raising armies, controlling trade routes and imposing its will beyond its borders. Power was measured in territory, soldiers and ships, then in tons of co
2050: The World Ahead
By 2050, demography, climate, technology and power will have redrawn the global landscape. This is not a prediction of a fixed future, but an examination of the forces already shaping the world ahead.
Debt: How Far Can We Go?
United States, China, Europe, Japan and emerging economies: behind the accumulation of trillions in debt lies a more difficult question than its sheer size. At what point has a state really borrowed too much? Global debt ceased to be an anomaly a long time ago. It has become an o
Energy: What Still Keeps the World Running
Oil, gas, coal, nuclear power, renewables: behind the narrative of the energy transition lies a more complex reality. The world is rapidly transforming the way it produces energy, but it has not yet replaced the system that keeps it running. And as electricity moves to the center
Demographics: the great shift
Some transformations arrive with a crash. Others derive their power precisely from their slowness. Demography belongs to the second category. It does not trigger a market collapse in a single day, bring down a government overnight or immediately set financial markets on edge. Yet
Social Protection: The Invisible Contract
Illness, an accident, job loss, the birth of a child, an inability to work, or simply old age. Behind each of these events lies the same question: what happens to an individual when income disappears while basic needs remain? For centuries, societies answered this question throug
AI and the End of the Privilege to Create
For a long time, creation was a rare activity, not because ideas were scarce, but because turning them into works required resources that were difficult to assemble. Writing a book took months or years. Composing and recording music required instruments, technical mastery and oft
Humanoid Robots: The Next Industrial Frontier
For a long time, the humanoid robot belonged more to the realm of imagination than to the economy. It walked awkwardly through laboratories, appeared at technology fairs and occasionally fell over to the amusement of spectators. Factories, meanwhile, had chosen far less spectacul
Meta and Social Media Addiction: A Trial Without Appeal?
For a long time, the case against social media was argued far from the courtroom. It belonged to parents, psychologists, teachers, researchers and, sometimes, users themselves. Platforms were accused of fragmenting attention, invading the night, turning social comparison into a p
Inflation: A World Moving at Different Speeds
Inflation has a peculiar characteristic: it is both one of the most closely measured economic phenomena in the world and one of those whose perception most stubbornly escapes statistics. National statistical institutes calculate indices. Central banks monitor monthly variations.
Algeria: The Unfinished Equation
A glance at the map is enough to understand part of Algeria’s ambition. The country stretches across nearly 2.4 million square kilometres, making it the largest state in Africa. It commands a long Mediterranean coastline, reaches deep into the Sahara, shares borders with seven co