The presidents of France and America stood before the United Nations General Assembly for the very first time, outlining opposing positions on every detail. While Trump promised the total annihilation of Iran, North Korea, and even Venezuela, Macron presented as a standard-bearer for democracy. The POTUS extolled the virtues of strength and nationalism, whereas the French president sang the praises...
Scarred by the memory of slavery, the United States is attacking all forms of discrimination... including in restrooms! Americans maintain an open relationship with the body and its functions that we in Europe do not have: We prefer discretion and they, exhibition. During my first visit to the United States in 1962, when Greyhound buses allowed me to crisscross the...
Many celebrated the election of Donald Trump last November as the “revenge of the white man.” This vengeful sentiment continues today, and is more toxic than ever. A certain category of Americans never truly accepted Barack Obama’s presidential victory, nor the current changes that have been shaping U.S. society since the 1960s. Feminism, ethnic diversity, priority for minorities in universities...
In another recognition of Macron’s new government, France has emerged as the new global leader in soft power, according to an annual report published this week. « The Soft Power 30 », released by the PR firm Portland Communications, ranks 30 countries in terms of values such as education, culture, political values and foreign policy. This year, France has risen...
Donald Trump was Emmanuel Macron’s guest of honor at the July 14 celebrations in Paris, and seems to have forgotten the advice of his friend “Jim.” The American president has fallen back in love with France. Advantage: Macron. Macron hooked a big fish — Donald Trump — by using the bait that works best on the U.S. president: Flattery and...
The United States’ withdrawal from the Paris Agreement on climate change is the only tangible decision made by the Trump government in its five months of existence. The American president himself hesitated at length, before leaving it up to a militant, committed member of his staff: A certain Scott Pruitt, the ecologists’ enemy number one. In this baroque, incompetent administration,...
Both the French and American presidents have the power to appoint people of their choosing to thousands of public sector positions, starting with their cabinet. The difference in France, however, is that no vetting of their background is required. Presidential nominations are not subject to any checks in France, whereas the equivalent appointments in the United States are generally preceded by...
A striking image will remain etched in the public mind after the first meeting between Emmanuel Macron and Donald Trump: That of their interminable handshake. Far from assuming its usual salutary function, the gesture was nothing short of a declaration of independence. Macron had clearly observed Trump’s manners and behavior. Particularly with regard to his vigorous handshake, in which the...
The same question is asked every time an Islamist terror attack shocks a Western city, such as Manchester this week. Are terrorists crusading warriors, or simply uprooted, frustrated young men? Are they “good” Muslims? On May 21, Donald Trump was in Riyadh giving a speech to Saudi leaders and the most important kings and emirs of the Arab world. In...
Just like Donald Trump, Marine Le Pen is nationalist, protectionist, somewhat authoritarian and staunchly anti-Islam. But unlike the American president, Marine Le Pen is anti-capitalist. When questioned by a journalist from The Financial Times, Donald Trump admitted that he had never met Marine Le Pen. Clearly France isn’t on the President Trump’s radar. And it’s not for Marine Le Pen’s lack of trying. Remember...
The French government and its diplomats in the United States are increasingly confused. What exactly does Trump want? What does he really think about Europe and NATO? Are the answers to be found in his violently anti-European and anti-NATO campaign statements? In his equally aggressive tweets? Or perhaps in his praise of NATO upon meeting Angela Merkel in Washington? No...
Donald Trump's (real or imaginary ?) friend Jim "loves Paris" but refuses to visit the French capital city. "Paris is no longer Paris," he said. A former history professor at Illinois College (Illinois), Steve Hochstadt took it upon himself to defend to defend the City of Lights. Read more in The Jacksonville Journal-Courier.
Donald Trump has shocked France. The American president laments the disappearance of an eternal Paris, while U.S. immigration officers detain French researchers at the border. It all started when Donald Trump declared that Americans should not visit France. The Potus said his (probably non-existent) friend, “Jim,” had told him he would no longer be visiting the French capital because “Paris wasn’t Paris anymore.” The message is...
Steve Bannon is Donald Trump’s closest advisor — some even refer to him as his Rasputin — and his supposed role as the administration’s ideologist terrifies his opponents. Bannon used to work as an investment banker and media mogul, and is in theory not a renowned intellectual. He seems intent on leading a Manichean battle against the non-Christian world, but...
In the United States, being a billionaire paves the way to the White House. In France, presidential candidates are expected to be poor (or at least appear so). The majority of Trump’s predecessors, with the exception of Clinton, were very wealthy. Their prosperity was, and is, seen as proof of success and a shield against corruption. The opposite is true...
French people will theoretically not be affected by the immigration ban imposed on Iranian, Iraqi, Libyan, Somalian, Sudanese, Syrian and Yemeni citizens entering the United States, which was repealed on February 4. However, lawyers are telling French people with a dual nationality from any of these countries to stay alert. After two weeks of protests and chaos at the borders,...
The whole world is pondering how Donald Trump works. His unwaveringly enthusiastic supporters feel he is staying true to his program, which in itself is quite original; faced with post-campaign reality, leaders tend to water down their previous promises and aim for a consensus. We should therefore expect Trump to stay in campaign mode, instead of trying to build bridges...
A year ago, Alexandre Bissonnette wasn't interested in politics. The gunman, who killed six people at a Quebec mosque on Sunday night, seems to have started becoming radicalized as recently as last March. According to several of his classmates at the University of Laval, the 27 year-old student's first racist and xenophobic posts on social media coincided with the visit...
Donald Trump’s inauguration took place at the White House last Friday, and the new president has already introduced stricter penalties for undocumented immigrants, refused to welcome Syrian refugees to the United States, and authorized the construction of a fortified wall along the American border with Mexico. The situation in France is not much brighter, with presidential candidate Marine Le Pen...
The claim that the United States has become “populist” and that democracy and the constitution are under threat is excessive. As the American political satirist Jon Stewart put it, “We're still the same country." Commentators who often hold the same opinions and who read each other’s work across borders, are all currently condemning the overwhelming rise of “populism.” They are all too quick...[Subscriber]
