The French-American Foundation Weekly Brief

France

President Nicolas Sarkozy made a television appearance to explain the state response to the continuing economic crisis, reported TF1. Le Journal du Dimanche noted that the president was adamant about maintaining the schedule of institutional reforms in spite of reduced economic growth.

Prime Minister François Fillon echoed this sentiment when answering questions about the recent large-scale labor mobilizations, said Libération. Speaking in Lyon, Fillon outlined the details of a €26 billion domestic investment package that will focus on infrastructure, higher education, research, housing, and health care. Les Echos noted that some critics say the plan does not provide enough funds to stimulate consumption and purchasing power for the French people. Among the critics was former Prime Minister Lionel Jospin, who said that the stimulus would need “two or three years to take effect,” according to LCI.fr

The Orléans blog of Libération reported that staff and students at campuses across France have voted to strike in response to the Loi Pécresse, a law on university reform that went into effect earlier this year. In Le Monde, several university presidents called for a reform of the organization of professorial duties and research. Bakchich.info warned of the end of Instituts Universitaires de Technologie, high-performing vocational training sectors of French universities that may suffer budget cuts under the new law. Writing from Provence, a student from Louisiana State University gave his view of French universities in the LSU Daily Reveille.

An Agence France Presse story in the Star of Malaysia described the efforts of Sciences-Po and other elite institutions to increase access for minority students. Such admissions programs are similar to U.S. programs in Texas and California, summarized by the French-American Foundation. The prime minister’s office announced that the Ministry of Immigration has created a set of scholarships to allow young immigrants to pursue higher education in France. In Esprit, Justin Vaïsse explored the state of political leadership by racial minorities in France. La vie des idées looked at the question of whether the French state should collect ethno-racial statistics.

See also:
– Onthemedia.org: The French president’s newspaper plan.
– Le Monde: Nicolas Bavarez on the myths of the French model.

United States

Ouest-France noted the confirmation of Attorney General Eric Holder, the first African-American to serve in the position. La Tribune reported that Judd Gregg, the Republican Senator from Vermont, was nominated for the position of commerce secretary.

Challenges reported that former South Dakota Senator Tom Daschle, who was nominated for Health and Human Services Secretary, withdrew after it was revealed that he owed $120,000 in federal taxes. Le Nouvel Observateur said that recent withdrawals of President Obama’s nomination are a symbol of the new administration’s confrontation with “political reality.” Le Figaro analyzed the situation of the U.S. Republican party, arguing that the election of Michael Steele as chairman means that the party is attempting to remake its image.

At the Atlantic Community, Jordan Michael Smith of the Project on National Security Reform explained how to make Europe’s relationship with President Barack Obama “more than a flirt.” The Far East Economic Review asked whether the United States can “green the East.”

In the Daily Star of Lebanon, Leon Hadar of the Cato Institute said that the United States is no longer a global hegemon, arguing that the Iraq war and the financial crisis have fundamentally altered America’s standing in the world.

See also:
– Real Clear Markets: With the economy, first: do no harm.
– Washington Post: President Obama defends the stimulus package.

Business and Economy

According to the Financial Times, the French government considered making financial aid to the auto industry contingent on the purchase of specific volumes of French-made parts. But according to Reuters, France pledged not to do so during a meeting between French and EU officials in Brussels. Meanwhile, a “buy American” clause in the U.S. economic stimulus package raised hackles among EU observers, according to Der Spiegel. The U.S. Senate agreed to dilute the clause as it considers its own version of the bill, said CNN. A policy brief from Bruegel outlined the anatomy of EU-U.S. preferential trade.

Le Nouvel Observateur reported that the Cour des comptes, France’s quasi-official accounting authority, released its annual report, which noted that the economic crisis will have deep and lasting effects on France’s public debt. The full report is available at the court’s website. Philippe Séguin, head of the court, spoke to Le Monde about the report’s conclusions.

Eurotopics provided European press reactions to the end of the meetings in Davos, Switzerland, noting that despite aspirations of “shaping the post-crisis world,” few concrete solutions were reached. World Politics Review evaluated the prospects of a Post-Bretton Woods global economic structure.

France faced 45,800 additional job losses at the end of 2008, said Reuters, and EasyBourse.com reported that Finance Minister Christine Lagarde said she would be “very surprised” if there were positive economic growth in 2009.

See also:
– The Nation: Global capitalism needs a revolution in spirit.
– Project Syndicate: The case for fiscal stimulus.

International

The Connexion spoke with consular officers at the U.S. embassy in France and asked, “What’s next for France and the United States?” France-Amérique previewed the first meeting between newly appointed Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner. Their joint remarks were published at the U.S. State Department’s website.

President Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel published a jointly written op-ed in Le Monde, describing their vision for collective security in Europe. The International Herald Tribune noted that a contingent of German troops will be stationed on French soil for the first time since World War II.

The Associated Press reported that U.S. envoy George Mitchell and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas met for talks in Paris. Le Figaro noted that the meeting centered on prospects for a “lasting cease fire” in Gaza and that Paris was the only non-Middle Eastern capital that Mitchell visited during his first tour. France24 evaluated Mitchell’s chances for success.

In Today’s Zaman of Turkey, Dr. Emre Uslu of the Jamestown Foundation argued that EU membership for Turkey could give the union additional diplomatic influence in the Middle East.

See also:
– National Post: Québecois separatism and France.
– Financial Times: The Lisbon Treaty and U.S. missile defense plans.

The views expressed in the preceding press coverage are solely those of the authors and do not reflect the views of the French-American Foundation nor its directors, officers, employees or representatives.

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