The Empires Strike Back

Moscow, Tehran, Ankara, Beijing, Delhi — even Washington. In every direction, empires are reasserting their strength, increasingly aligned against an aging Europe.

This sweeping historical fresco brings clarity to the long-overlooked narrative behind today’s global turmoil: how the old empires of the East, once captivated by the West, embarked in the early 20th century on a race toward technical and social progress. In doing so, they cast aside their identities and traditions in favour of Westernization, modernization, and secularism, often through totalitarian revolutions. Then, from the 1980s onward, they turned back—gradually or abruptly—toward religious obscurantism.

The film traces this complex trajectory while also decoding the darker side of imperial America—its civil religion, and its militaristic imagination. It reveals why and how, in opposition to human rights, force and violence are once again asserting themselves, now in the name of religion. Striking and fast-paced, this historical fresco, built on rare archival footage, sheds light on the true nature of the major existential challenges we face today as French and European citizens.