The French-American Foundation Weekly Brief

France

USA Today reported on the creation of the New Anticapitalist Party following the dissolution of the Communist Revolutionary League. The new party will be led by the former leader of the LCR, Olivier Besancenot, whom Le Télégramme called an “ideal opponent.” Socialist politician David Lebon explained to Le Journal du Dimanche that although the new party expressed legitimate grievances, its existence will help the right more than it will help the left.

Le Figaro noted that this week saw the beginning of parliamentary debate on the Bachelot Law, named for Health Minister Roselyne Bachelot, which would reorganize France’s health system. The stated goal of the law, according to Le Monde, is to fight medical “desertification” and lack of care in areas of rural France. Agence France Presse noted that the law includes bonuses for doctors who choose to serve in these areas, in addition to the creation of regional medical administrations.

Meanwhile, strikes continued in the French overseas territories of Martinique and Guadeloupe, as citizens protested rising living costs, according to the International Herald Tribune. Fluctuat.net asked whether such unrest is “just a taste” of troubles that could crop up in metropolitan France.

University World News noted continuing intensification of resistance to university reforms. Higher Education Minister Valérie Pécresse defended the reforms in an interview with Libération. At that same publication’s philosophy blog, Jean-Fabien Spitz, a professor at the Sorbonne, explained why giving university presidents greater control over the research and teaching decisions isn’t the best way to improve universities. At the newly created Slate.fr, historian Henry Rousso asked what the new law meant for academic freedom in France.

See also:

– BBC World Opinion: U.S. opinion of France is steadily improving.
– France Today: French singers in English.

United States

Le Journal des Finances reported on President Barack Obama’s first press conference since becoming president, during which he defended his stimulus plan as necessary to avoid “economic catastrophe.” Canadian Cyberpresse criticized what it saw as a “watering down” of the bill by the U.S. Senate. La Tribune noted that the two houses of Congress came to an agreement on a final version totaling $789 billion.

Meanwhile, Treasury Secretary Timothy Geithner’s outline of a plan to rescue America’s ailing financial system was not well-received, according to E24.fr, which noted an immediate downturn in markets after its announcement. Le Monde said that the amount of aid could reach $2 trillion.

The International Herald Tribune, France24, sponsored a Harris Interactive poll which found that among Americans and Western Europeans, President Obama is the most respected world leader. The Associated Press noted that officials in the French Foreign Ministry have a “favorable first impression” of the new president. The Telegraph argued that after initial stumbles, the new president will have to fight to get his domestic agenda back on track. Europe1 reported that Republican Senator Judd Gregg withdrew his nomination as commerce secretary.

Former Philippine President Fidel V. Ramos wrote at Project Syndicate that the president’s early experiences in Indonesia could help shift the U.S. relationship with the Asia-Pacific region.

See also:
– Europe1: Reflecting on the Bush years.
– Agence France Presse: The 200^th birthday of Abraham Lincoln.

Business and Economy

L’Express published an infographic showing how France slipped into recession in 2008. At Marianne2.fr, Laurent Pinsolle argued that a triple crisis of monetary, commercial, and financial deregulation led to the current worldwide financial difficulties. Finance Minister Christine Lagarde warned of the possibility of “negative growth” in 2009.

The Technology Review from MIT noted that nuclear energy will play a significant role in France’s economic recovery plan. French President Nicolas Sarkozy said that the construction of a new reactor at Penly will help improve the country’s trade balance, according to YourIndustryNews.com. Reuters noted that the French energy giant Total is seeking to take part in the construction, hoping to expand its expertise in the nuclear sector.

Bloomberg cited Swedish Finance Minister Anders Borg, who said that a French plan to provide preferred-rate loans to French carmakers could disrupt European competition. The Times of London said that the EU is asking for clarification of the plan, which was up for discussion at a recent meeting of EU finance ministers, summarized here by Reuters. The French president defended the plan during a trip to Kuwait City, arguing that it is in no way protectionist. An op-ed in the Wall Street Journal argued that the car plan represented a challenge to the EU single market.

The Telegraph, citing a confidential EU document, said that a massive bailout of European banks could lead to a pan-continental indebtedness crisis.

See also:
– Pravda.ru: The most expensive gas project in history.
– Financial Times: Adam Smith gets the last laugh.

International

The New York Times reported that President Sarkozy made an unannounced visit to Baghdad, the first visit to Iraq by a leader of a nation that did not participate in the 2003 American-led invasion. McClatchy noted that the president urged other European countries to invest in Iraq and that the country is on its way to recovery. The Guardian said that the visit could raise France’s profile in the region, and in Le Figaro, Pierre Rousselin argued that the visit was necessary to “turn the page” and reengage with Iraq.

Socialist politician Jean-Marc Ayrault said that the visit is an indication that France is preparing a return to the integrated military command of NATO, according to Agence France Presse. The International Herald Tribune reported that France is indeed beginning a diplomatic effort to persuade French lawmakers to accept such a move before the alliance’s summit meeting in April. An analysis from the Heritage Foundation argued that the United States and Britain should oppose French participation in the military command, as it would give France too much influence within the alliance and weaken the U.S.-British special relationship.

The commander of U.S. forces in Afghanistan and Iraq, General David Petraeus, traveled to Paris to meet with senior French officials, according to the Associated Press, though France made no immediate announcement about increasing its troop numbers in Afghanistan. An analysis in Le Monde Diplomatique discussed at the security situation in Afghanistan at length.

Radio Free Europe looked at the Munich Security Conference “through a non-American looking glass.” Real Clear World described the prospects for trans-Atlantic cooperation coming out of the latest conference, and François Heisbourg, head of La Fondation pour la recherche stratégique, said that America is now more open to dialogue on security issues.

See also:
– Reuters: France offers Rafale fighters to Oman.
– International Center for the Prevention of Crime: Annual report.

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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