The French-American Foundation Weekly Brief

FRANCE

The Elysée palace has been accused by opposition leaders of financing public opinion polls that were eventually presented as independent in the media, according to Research magazine. Le Monde explained how the implicated research company, OpinionWay, is being accused of “collusion with the government, questionable methodology, and bias.”  At his media blog at the Nouvel Observateur, Claude Soula cited specific examples of irregularities of OpinionWay’s reported polls.

For Bernard-Henri Lévy, the Socialist Party is “destined for demolition,” as he concluded that the party is “dead” in Le Journal du Dimanche. Socialist Deputy Julien Dray wrote a scathing critique of Martine Aubry’s leadership of the party on his blog.  In a live chat with readers of Le Monde, Pierre Moscovici argued that while the party is not dead, it certainly needs to change profoundly,  and Libération reported that Ségolène Royal is doing her best to stay “above the fray.” The Christian Sciences Monitor wrote that the Socialists are facing a “dark night of the soul.“

In the Cardozo Law Review, Patrick Weil, a participant in the French-American Foundation’s Equality of Opportunity program, drew a link between the French principle of laïcité and political liberalism.

Maurice Grimaud, the French police chief who encouraged restraint by Paris police during the May 1968 riots, died this week at the age of 95, according to the New York Times.  Le Parisien described how commissariats across Paris are paying their respects.

UNITED STATES

TSR Swiss television reported that the state of California has finally made a deal to fill a $26.3 million gap in the budget that nearly paralyzed the state’s day-to-day operations. RFI described some of the painful reductions that the deal made necessary, including cutting health insurance benefits to the state’s poorest populations.

Libération reported that a presidential commission charged with figuring out how to close the U.S. prison at Guantanamo needs more time, leading the paper to speculate that the facility may not be closed before the January 2010 deadline. Rue89 criticized the use of the turn of phrase “L’Amérique qu’on aime” in French publications, arguing that it is simply a reassuring expression that ignores the complexity of American society and values.

World Affairs Journal took another look at the the Quiet American by Graham Greene, analyzing the complex role that “good intentions” play in American foreign policy.

U.S. soldier Bowe R. Bergdahl was captured by the Taliban in Afghanistan in the Paktika province at the end of June, according to Le Figaro. CNN asked whether the recently released propaganda video created with Bergdahl was an effort by the Taliban to “change its image.”

BUSINESS AND ECONOMY

An energy regulatory body in France determined that a company who helps consumers cut power use during peak hours must pay power producers the energy it saves. The Financial Times analyzed the move and concluded that it was part of France’s “complicated relationship with efficiency.“

French Finance Minister Christine Lagarde criticized banks for paying guaranteed bonuses, reported the Financial Times, as she called on G20 governments to stop “procrastinating” and introduce curbs on pay practices deemed to encourage risk-taking.

Joseph Stiglitz predicted the global financial meltdown, according to Newsweek, which asks why he remains one of the most misunderstood economists in America. The Economist wrote that the macroeconomic crisis of the past two years is also provoking a crisis of confidence in macroeconomics itself.

CNN Money asked whether the government’s refusal to rescue CIT Group, a lender to about 1 million small- and medium-size businesses, could mean the end of the bailout culture.

INTERNATIONAL

The Business Times reported on the visit to India by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, which was billed as “US-India 3.0,” the third phase of the relationship between the world’s two largest democracies. The Times of India said that the trip was rich in both symbols and substance as the two countries signed an End-user Verification Agreement, allowing them to trade in defense hardware. An editorial in the Wall Street Journal argued that the United States should listen carefully to India on the issue of carbon tariffs.

Foreign Policy published a slide show of the “least free places on earth” with material from Freedom House, which publishes a yearly “Freedom in the World” index.

At GlobalPost, Michael Goldfarb compared European health care systems and argued that they should be used as a guide for a universal system to be adopted in the United States.

Amnesty International reported that arrests and deaths are continuing in Iran as authorities stamp out the last vestiges of post-election demonstrations. Among the prisoners is French national Clotilde Reiss, and Press TV reported that the EU is now calling for Reiss’ release.

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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