The French-American Weekly Brief

 FRANCE

Le Monde said that in the wake of his party’s success in the European elections, French President Nicolas Sarkozy would lay out plans for the “second phase” of his five-year mandate, speaking to a joint session of the parliament at Versailles. The Connexion noted that a recent change in the French constitution gives the president the opportunity to address both houses of congress in a speech similar to the American “State of the Union” address. Le Nouvel Observateur pointed out that different parties on the left are divided on whether to boycott the speech or attend it and have their say.

Libération provided a compilation of remarks by leaders of the Socialist Party on last week’s defeat in the European elections and the party’s hope for the future. Marianne collected commentary by three party stalwarts – Jack Lang, Vincent Peillon, and Laurent Fabius — as each took to the airwaves to comment on the state of the party.

The Chicago Tribune described plans for an architectural remaking of Paris to improve housing and transportation, encourage the arts, and raise the city’s international profile. The New York Times magazine noted that “these proposals force us to rethink what it means for Paris to be Paris, and how to fix our faltering cities.” France Today compared the plans to those of Baron Hausmann, who restructured Paris during the rule of Napoleon III. The Guardian reported that Line 1 of the Paris Metro is to be converted into a fully automatic service in which traditional train drivers will no longer be needed, similar to the driverless trains of Line 14. The Christian Science Monitor told the story of residents of Southern France who are protesting plans for a high-speed rail line that would blight the iconic countryside painted by Post-Impressionist Paul Cézanne.

The Associated Press reported that French prosecutors have called for the banning of the Church of Scientology in the country if it is found guilty of fraud. Canada.com asked whether the questionable religion should be on trial, and TIME magazine asked, “Can a religion be banned?”

See also:  
– Agence France Presse: French designer Pierre Paulin passes away at 81.
– TIME: Banning the burqa?

UNITED STATES

Les Echos described U.S. President Barack Obama’s appearance before the American Medical Association to call for the adoption of a new health care plan. La Tribune noted that the president made a comparison between the U.S. health care system and failed automaker General Motors: “We’ll continue to pay more and receive less.”

An analysis in the Financial Times argued that the cost of health care “dwarfs any of the other long-term fiscal challenges the United States faces.” At Slate.com, Timothy Noah argued that the health care debate is “within mainstream political discourse, isolationism’s last refuge,” and asked why the United States doesn’t look at models in other countries. Gallup polled Americans on which groups they trust to make good recommendations for reforming health care in the United States.

The U.S. president unveiled a plan this week to reinforce oversight of the U.S. financial system with measures that include the creation of a Consumer Financial Protection Agency to fight mortgage and credit card abuses, according to France-Soir. The economics blog at Libération outlined the president’s plan and criticized it for not getting to the root causes of the economic crisis.

A post from the environmental news blog at the Wall Street Journal outlined the challenges of establishing a French-style nuclear power grid in the United States. An analysis at NewGeography.com argued that in general, European models may not apply well in the United States, largely because there is an American cultural tendency to resist centralized control.

See also:
– The Washington Post: Obama’s return to “Old Europe.”
– Frenchmorning.com: How to succeed in the United States.

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

The mood was somber at the Paris Air Show‘s 100th anniversary due to the recent Air France tragedy and an economic downturn causing major financial problems for both commercial and military aerospace manufacturers, according to the New York Times. France24 noted that this year, Airbus has received a net total of 11 orders after 21 cancellations, and its U.S. rival Boeing has seven net orders after 66 cancellations. Challenges reported that the European aviation giant sees itself as “well ahead” of its American counterpart. Charles Edelstenne, president of Dassault Aviation, spoke to Le Monde about the state of the industry and the strides being made in the development of “green” aviation technology.

Wired magazine argued that the “digital socialism,” characterized by open-source, online collaboration, may be the “newest American innovation” that encourages inventiveness and cooperation in culture and economics.

Restaurants and pubs across Britain are switching from French wines to New World varietals, according to the Times, another symptom of the decline of a French wine industry hampered by a global recession and strong euro.

Power Engineering International reported French government plans to raise capital for nuclear champion Areva by having the firm sell its power transport and distribution equipment. Melissa Dell, an economist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, explored the relationship between changes in climate and economic performance at Telos.

See also:
– The Economist: How much oil does the world have left?
– La Tribune: Unemployment claims in the United States.

INTERNATIONAL

Benjamin Netanyahu, the prime minister of Israel, gave a speech in which he declared that he would support a Palestinian state if he received international guarantees that it would be demilitarized, and if the Palestinians accepted Israel as the Jewish homeland, according to the Jerusalem Post. Libération described the reaction of Palestinian authorities, who said that the conditions placed on the recognition of a Palestinian state effectively “torpedoed” the peace process. The Daily Beast provided reactions to the speech from Les Gelb, Mort Zuckerman, and other regular contributors to the magazine, and eurotopics.net provided reaction from the European press. Agence France Presse noted that the prime minister will travel to France and Italy later this month.

The disputed result of the Iranian presidential election has unleashed massive street protests in the streets of Tehran, described here by an anonymous letter from the scene at Salon.com. The blog of the National Iranian American Council provides up-to-the-minute updates from the scene, and Tehranlive.org provides daily photographs from the city. Rue89 called the election result and subsequent demonstrations a “Persian puzzle” for Obama, who is caught between supporting democracy and working diplomatically with a restive regime. In a video analysis, Le Figaro asked, “What can Barack Obama do?” Meanwhile, France summoned the Iranian ambassador in Paris to express its concern over events surrounding the contested election, according to Reuters.

RIA Novosti described a number of possible deals on military and transport equipment that could be struck between France and Russia. Deutsche-Welle said that a recent meeting of the leaders of Brazil, Russia, India and China is a sign of a newly emerging world order. Foreign Policy asked whether a club that includes countries as diverse as the BRIC nations makes any sense.

Following the death of Omar Bongo, both the Wall Street Journaland the Christian Science Monitor reflected on the special relationship between France and Africa and how it has changed over the past decades.

See also:
– The Weekly Standard: The danger of “soft despotism” in democracies.
– Financial Times: George Soros supporting NGOs in Eastern Europe.

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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