The French-American Foundation Weekly Brief

The HALDE, France’s high anti-discrimination authority, presented a report to the French government concluding that more than one in four employees in the private sector has been a victim of discrimination, according to the Connexion. Le Figaro described the body’s increasing use of fines and civil court action in fighting discrimination, and the paper cited a new French-American Foundation report on American anti-discrimination strategies that could be applied in France. The full report is available for download here at the website of the French-American Foundation.  In Le Monde, an op-ed argued that France doesn’t need new measures to fight discrimination but simply more robust application of current law.

French lawmakers passed a law to punish internet piracy by suspending internet access for those who download material illegally, according to the New York Times. France24 noted that an old version bill failed to pass last month in what was then a rare defeat for the majority UMP. Cnet news wrote that the bill seems to run contrary to EU regulations, which prohibit European governments from terminating a user’s Internet access without a court order, and the BBC noted that other European countries are monitoring the bill carefully.

Libération listed the campuses that continue to be disrupted by strikes and occupations over university reform law. Former Education Minister Jack Lang suggested that a ministerial change could bring “serenity” to the situation. Rue89 described student worries over the possibility of canceled exams at Toulouse, and Education Minister Xavier Darcos said that students who have disrupted classes will be denied degrees, according to the Associated Press.

La Gazette Santé Social described the Marescaux Report, a set of suggestions for reforming administration of France’s network of teaching hospitals in the context of the larger reform of France’s health care system. Olivier Lyon-Caen, leader of a group of medical professionals opposed to the general reform, told Le Monde that the Marescaux Report contained some positive changes but did not soften his group’s fundamental opposition to reform.

See also:  
– La Lettre A: A French-American Foundation report on equality of opportunity in education.
– GlobalPost: A colorblind dubbing industry in France.

At Boulevard Extérieur, Arthur Goldhammer discussed the state of American politics following the election of President Barack Obama, analyzing the role of cultural and scholarly elites. In Les Echos, Dominique Moïsi argued that the United States is a country of “collective optimism and individual pessimism” and that in Europe the situation is the exact opposite.

Representatives of the U.S. health care industry unveiled a plan to trim $2 trillion from health care costs in the United States over the next ten years in preparation for an overhaul of health insurance in the United States, according to Le Nouvel Observateur. RFI said that getting health care expenditures under control is an “essential step” on the path to reform. The Canadian Press pointed out that the recession has sapped the resources of the United States’ two largest entitlement programs – Social Security and Medicare.

Le Figaro reported that General Stanley McChrystal will become the new commander officer for U.S. forces in Afghanistan, replacing General David McKiernan. Euronews said that the change is part of a “change of approach” in the war effort in Afghanistan, but the Guardian called the removal of General McKiernan “curious” and argued that the Pentagon hasn’t adequately explained why the decision was made.

Foreign Policy analyzed President Barack Obama’s popularity in the Middle East in light of his upcoming address to the Arab and Muslim worlds to be delivered from Cairo.

See also:
– Reuters: U.S. cities need a national bailout agency.
– Le Monde: An American look at Vichy with Robert Paxton.

The Economist ran a long analysis of the French economic model, arguing that it has proved robust during tough economic times but that it will still be plagued by structural problems once the world economy has recovered. Meanwhile, Finance Minister Christine Lagarde spoke to Le Monde, arguing that recovery from France’s deep public deficit will be slow, and Prime Minister François Fillon said that the state will freeze spending in 2010, according to Reuters.

A new report from the OECD said that output of the world’s major and emerging economies continues to slow but that the pace of decline is decreasing, according to Forbes. NPR produced an in-depth report on unemployment in Spain, once the source of a third of all new jobs in the EU and now the source of one in two layoffs.

The EU has fined computer chipmaker Intel with a record fine of €1.06 billion for “anti-competitive” practices. The Los Angeles Times argued that it is a “new day” for antitrust enforcement in the United States and that new U.S. antitrust chief Christine Varney may take her cue from Europe.

The New York Times reported the increasing popularity of investments in livestock in France – noting that the French word for livestock, “cheptel,” is the root for “capital.”

See also:
– La Vie des Idées: What is an economic decision?
– Bloomberg: Looking at the financial crisis from the year 2088.

France-Amérique described French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner’s trip to the United States to attend a UN Security Council meeting and meet U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

The Times of London reported King Abdullah of Jordan’s comments on the prospect of a comprehensive peace agreement for the Middle East, and his argument that instead of a two-state solution, the parties should seek a 57-state solution. Le Monde‘s blog on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict noted that much depends on the outcome of President Barack Obama’s upcoming meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Der Spiegel described Obama’s “new Middle East diplomacy,” which could involve distancing Washington from Israel. The Washington Institute’s 2009 Soref Symposium analyzed prospects for U.S.-sponsored Middle East peace initiatives.

Two French citizens, and suspected Al Qaeda terrorists, were arrested in Italy, according to Deutsche-Welle, and police are calling them “important point-men in Europe” who may have been planning attacks. RFI noted that the two were equipped with arms and explosives and had set up a recruiting network for suicide missions in Iraq and Afghanistan. TIME magazine put the arrests in the larger context of terrorist threats to Europe.

France24 has partnered with RFI to provide multimedia coverage of the upcoming European elections.  The Brussels blog from the Financial Times noted a new site, www.votewatch.eu, providing the voting records of members of the European Parliament. Der Spiegel has teamed up with news sites in the Netherlands and Denmark to profile attitudes about the election and the EU in each of the 27 member states.

See also:
– SIPRI: Air cargo carriers carrying both aid and illicit arms to Africa.
– The New York Times: The United States joins the UN Human Rights Council.

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