The French-American Foundation Weekly Brief

U.S.

In a 220-215 vote, the House of Representatives passed the highly-debated health bill, and set in motion a new form American health care in which 96% of Americans will be covered. The bill was not passed without a fight, however and Politico reported that “Republicans oppose[d] almost every aspect of the bill.” As a last minute measure of compromise on the part of Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, the House voted, and passed, an amendment that “would bar any insurance company participating in the exchange program from covering [an abortion] procedure.”

More information has been released about Nidal Malik Hasan, the Army psychiatrist who opened fire at Fort Hood last Thursday, killing 13 people. The New York Times reported on Sunday that Major Hasan “had grown more and more vocal about his opposition to the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan,” and to some, he was showing obvious signs of distress.  However, President Obama warned against any assumption that Hasan has terrorist connections, and stated that “We cannot fully know what leads a man to do such a thing.”

There is strong evidence that President Obama is planning to increase the number of US troops in Afghanistan, according to a report in Wednesday’s Los Angeles Times. At the moment, the number is uncertain, but there is speculation that it will be increased by “as many as 40,000 or fewer than 10,000.” The Atlantic online described how the American public has responded to the President’s impending decision, and pointed out that the majority of Americans do not support the war at all.

In a calculated response to October’s record-breaking “10.2 percent” unemployment rate, President Obama announced that a jobs summit will be held “at the White House in December,” according to Politico. As of Thursday, the President’s two main goals for the summit are to bring together “experts” from the “public and private sectors,” and to generate discussion on a “strategy for growth” in Asia, according to NPR.

France

On Monday, France Info reported that the price of cigarettes increased by 6%, which is equivalent to approximately “30 centimes more per pack.” The increase was enforced just one week after President Nicolas Sarkozy unveiled his “Plan cancer II,” in which anti-tobacco initiatives are a major aspect, according to Les Echos.

The Telegraph reported late last week that in response to Rama Yade’s open critique of the “nepotism scandal” involving his son, Jean, President Sarkozy ordered the Secretary of State for Sports to step down from her position in the Hauts-de-Seine. Despite this punishment, public support for Yade remains strong—61% of right-wing sympathisers surveyed and 73% of leftists surveyed “do not want to see [Yade] leave”—and represents a unique “unanimité” among citizens and voters, of varying political associations, according to L’Express.

Following in the footsteps of the popular Velib’ system, the City of Paris’ newest transportation project, Autolib’, is set to launch this December, according to Le Figaro. Autolib’ will allow users to borrow cars from 1,000 stations throughout Paris and the surrounding suburbs, for the price of a monthly subscription and a half-hourly fee. Unfortunately, there is talk that the project, which requires the acquisition of 3,000 electronic vehicles (at a cost of €25,000 apiece) is not economically viable. Naturally, the Mairie de Paris insists that the project is on course and that vehicles will be ready for use in December. (*see also MSNBC’s early report on Autolib’ in 2008)

In preparation for its bid to host the 2016 Euro football championships, the French Football Federation (FFF) has named the twelve towns, including Paris, where matches will be held if France wins the bid, according to Le Point. While the Euro 2016 would be a boon for local economies, some of the towns are ill-prepared to host such an event, and as a result, four (Bordeaux, Nice, Lyon and Lille) of the twelve towns will build brand-new stadiums to be ready “in time for the tournament,” according The Connexion. The UEFA (Union of European Football Associations) will not decide on the host country until May 2010.

Business and Economy

When Le Figaro reported on Monday that the Euro passed the $1.50 mark, the declining value of the US Dollar was undeniably evident. According to the Wall Street Journal, the Dollar reached a 15-month low early this week, and is now “serving as the funding currency for carry trades,” says Bloomberg. Economists are concerned that investors are taking advantage of the weakened currency, and that “risky” investment practices could result in not only “distorted markets,” but, as reported on the Business Insider website, “emerging market asset bubbles” as well.

French industrial production is slipping, according to the Financial Times, while, simultaneously, German production is soaring. Forbes reported on Monday that German output went up by 2.7 percent in September alone, and contributed to “the strongest increase [in production] since German reunification in 1990.” Unfortunately, some economists believe that France cannot mimic Germany’s “industry-led” recovery scheme, and will have to take a different route to achieve “real [economic] recovery.”

The Connexion reported on Thursday that in a study of European consumers conducted by Deloitte, French families will most likely spend “3.5% less” on holiday gifts than they did in 2008. Similarly, Le Monde mentioned that people have considered such alternatives as giving second-hand items, or other more practical gifts such as books and educational toys to friends and young children. Not surprisingly, the most desired gift in several of the countries surveyed was money.

International

Monday marked the twentieth anniversary of the historic fall of the Berlin Wall. Numerous publications reported on the event, including the Christian Science Monitor who discussed how the city has changed since 1989. Additionally, NPR reported on the celebration that took place near the Brandenburg Gate, and recounted the “symbolic gesture” in which Angela Merkel, Mikhail Gorbachev and former Polish leader Lech Walesa stepped across a bridge that “traced the path of the former wall.”

Libération reported that former Culture Minister Jack Lang arrived in North Korea on Monday, as part of a brief “mission d’information.” Lang’s mission has been explained as an effort to generate a dialogue between France and North Korea, a dialogue that is certainly meant, in part, to address the Asian country’s nuclear program. To date, France is the only large European country that does not have “formal ties” with the Pyongyang regime, as stated by Voice of America.

CNN reported late last week that leaders in Madagascar have “struck a power-sharing deal” in an effort to establish a more stable government. The country has been in political turmoil since last March when Andry Rajoelina “ousted” the then-President Marc Ravalomanana. According to the deal, four leaders, including Rajoelina and Ravalomanana, will share a co-president title. The AP reported that, the French Foreign Ministry showed support for the agreement, and also urged the new government to immediately do what is necessary to “cement [a] new institutional framework of Malagasy democracy.”

On Monday, the Christian Science Monitor reported that the Iraqi parliament finally passed an election law that will allow for both the evaluation of voting “irregularities,” as well as the use of an “open list,” which gives voters the  ability to vote for “individual candidates” rather than “political blocs.” Despite progress, the Monitor reported on Wednesday that the UN is uncertain whether Iraq can actually execute a successful election by this coming January, and commented that it will likely be “one of the most logistically complicated polls [that the UN has] overseen.”