Shattered Calm — An Afghan government delegation came under fire by Taliban militants in the early hours of Tuesday as they visited the village where a U.S. soldier is accused of killing 16 civilians. The Washington Post …
Nicolas Sarkozy
Sarkozy’s Xenophobia: French President Panders to the Extreme-Right
French economic growth is slowing, unemployment is rising, Greece is still a risk to default, and the crisis-rocked euro—while somewhat stabilized of late—is still not out of the existential woods. Yet despite those burning …
Is a New European Union Ad Racist? Controversial Video Campaign Is Pulled
The European Commission was forced to recall a video ad promoting the expansion of the European Union amid allegations that the content was racist.
In the style of a bad Quentin Tarantino knockoff, the video called “Growing Together” depicts three men of different ethnic backgrounds menacing a Caucasian woman. As the heroine walks …
Must-Reads From Around the World: March 7, 2012
French Frankness —Trailing in the polls with less than two months to go before Election Day, French President Nicolas Sarkozy unveiled tough new policies on immigration Tuesday, the Daily Telegraph reports. During a televised …
How Sarkozy’s Petulance on a Proposed Law Illustrates a Bigger Political Problem: Himself
The decision Tuesday by France’s constitutional watch-dog striking down a pending law criminalizing the denial of the Armenian genocide by Ottoman Turks produced reactions one might have anticipated: applause from Turkey, …
Entering French Presidential Race, Sarkozy Gets Lift From Unexpected Economic Growth
French President Nicolas Sarkozy made his long-anticipated re-election bid announcement Wednesday night and has some good news to jump-start his campaign. On Wednesday morning, figures for the fourth quarter of 2011 showed that …
The Anti-Sarkozy: How French Socialist Presidential Candidate François Hollande Would Lead
The Socialist front runner in France’s current presidential campaign promises big changes if he wins elections a bit over two months away. Yet not only does François Hollande remain rather vague about just how he’d do things …
Renault’s Morocco Factory: When Globalization and Politics Collide
It’s often said that in both business and politics (not to mention humor), timing is everything. And it was probably that critical element of delivery and context that caused the big news Thursday from French carmaker Renault …
Why Did Merkel Endorse Sarkozy’s French Presidential Re-Election Bid?
How odd is this picture? The leader of one country visits the head of state of a neighboring nation to explicitly support the host’s uphill re-election plans — despite the political and diplomatic problems that may arise if …
Sarkozy Unexpectedly Calls Earlier French Troop Exit From Afghanistan
So it turns out France is indeed leaving Afghanistan earlier than planned, and will seek to bring the last of its current 3,900 troops home by the end of 2013. Despite signs earlier in the week from French government officials …
France Not Quitting Afghan Campaign After All
Okay, so not leaving Afghanistan—yet, anyway.
Despite suggestions-cum-threats by French President Nicolas Sarkozy last week that he’d consider pulling France’s nearly 3,900 forces out of Afghanistan in response to the …
French Draft Law On Armenian Genocide Rocks Franco-Turkish Relations
Anyone who hoped that calm and harmony might somehow prevail after the passage of a French bill criminalizing denial of the 1915 genocide of Armenians by Ottoman Turks was mightily disappointed Monday night. Adoption of that …
Sarkozy Considers Withdrawal from Afghanistan After Death of French Soldiers
Is the outraged French response to the shooting death of four of its forces in Afghanistan by a suspected Afghan soldier Friday a sign that Paris may speed the pull out of its troops from the NATO-led operation? Or is the …