The French-American Foundation Weekly Brief

US

On Monday, the Guardian reported that some members of the UN are concerned that the December Climate Summit in Copenhagen will “drift into deadlock” if a solid treaty—one that effectively addresses “targets for carbon emissions…finance, technology [and] forestry”—is not made. Sunday’s New York Times tried to counter the negative prediction by reporting that even if the Summit does not result in a legal treaty, President Obama plans to establish an “interim agreement” that would lead up to a more “binding treaty” to be decided upon in 2010.

In a time of heightened joblessness, First Lady Michelle Obama is taking a moment to motivate the next generation of female professionals, who, one hopes, will start their careers in a more robust economic climate. On Monday, the Denver Post reported that the First Lady spoke at the Colorado governor’s mansion to a group of “80 high school girls” as part of her “White House’s Women of Excellence leadership and mentoring initiative.” The program, which connects teenage girls with professional female mentors, was “launched on Nov. 2” in Washington D.C.; there was no mention, besides Denver, as to when and where the program will expand next.

Tuesday’s edition of the New York Daily News discussed how the abortion amendment, known as the Stupak amendment, could affect the Health Bill vote in the Senate. While pro-abortion rights Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-New York) would not comment either way on how she plans to vote, she did state that her “goal right now is to…make sure [the amendment is] not included [in the final bill].” Additionally, Politico took an in-depth look at how, despite the fact that taxpayers currently pay “deep subsidies for health plans that cover abortion,” if the amendment stays in the bill, the new government-run health plan would not cover the procedure and consequently “strip” coverage from women who are currently covered.

President Obama announced last Friday that the civil trial for 9/11 “mastermind,” Khalid Shaikh Mohammed, and four other suspects, will take place in Manhattan, according to The New York Times. NBC and the AFP reported reactions of outrage on the part of New York Governor David Paterson, and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, while Secretary of State Hillary Clinton supported the plan. Regardless of opinion, law professor David Cole stated in an interview with the Washington Post that the trial represents a “sea change,” and that it is imperative that the sentences-to-come must be “seen around the world as legitimate and not fixed.”

France

Prompted by Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd’s apology to the “orphans of the [British] Empire” (reported in the Christian Science Monitor), some are considering the need for France to take a similar action. One of Libération‘s blogs discussed the need for France to publicly apologize to the children of la Réunion who were sent to France between 1960 and 1970 as a way to curb overpopulation, and ultimately “maintain French sovereignty” on the island. The blog reported that “children were sent to sixty, [mainly rural], departments throughout France,” and funneled into jobs as factory and construction workers.

Another employee of France Telecom has taken their own life, according to an article in Tuesday’s Le Monde, which has led to heightened focus on the company’s recent company-wide questionnaire on “stress and work conditions. ” (France Info) La Provence interviewed three France Telecom workers who took the survey, one of whom criticized the company for “reducing [employees] to just a number,” and two others who asked that the company simply treat them with a little “humanité.” Results of the questionnaire, and subsequent “recommendations” to the company’s upper management on how to handle the matter, will be made by April 15, 2010, according to France Info.

Le Figaro reported that Iraqi president Jalal Talabani arrived in Paris on Monday for his inaugural, four-day trip to France. According to Voice of America, Talabani will meet with various “French political and business leaders” as a way to re-establish French-Iraqi relations following the turmoil of the war in Iraq. However, the meetings are also a chance for the two countries to strike a business deal: the French government is looking to “be at the forefront” of Iraqi reconstruction, and also to “capture a share” of the country’s oil reserves.

Clotilde Reiss, the French academic who was accused of espionage by the Iranian government, is awaiting a verdict after what may or may not have been her final day in Iranian court. According to Al Jazeera, Reiss was given permission to live at the French Embassy until her trial is resolved, and at the moment, the only promising information regarding her freedom comes from the French Foreign ministry who said that the judge “did not rule out summoning her for a new hearing.” Apparently, there is heavy speculation among analysts that the trial is “politically motivated,” given France’s stance towards Iran’s nuclear program.

Business & Economy

Good news for General Motors, and perhaps the American taxpayer: the Detroit Free Press reported on Monday that GM has amassed “$3.3 billion… [in] the third quarter,” and its CEO, Fritz Henderson, stated that the company will “begin paying back” the $6.7 billion loaned to the company by the US government. However, according to the AP, the Government Accountability Office is skeptical about taxpayers actually benefitting from the repayment, and stated that GM’s stock would “have to soar” for taxpayers to be “completely repaid.”

The Swiss Federal Data Protection and Information Commission is suing Google for an apparent invasion of privacy. La Nouvel Observateur reported on Monday that the agency is blowing the whistle on Google for its popular ‘street view’ feature on the Google Maps website, specifically because, according to the San Francisco Chronicle, the “car-mounted…cameras” can capture images “over fences and into homes,” not just the street. (Google’s programs have recently stirred other debates over privacy protection, and the issue is discussed in-depth on a recent installment of NPR’s ‘Fresh Air’)

The economic strain felt by the print-publication industry became even more apparent on Monday when, according to NPR, the “largest publisher” of gay and lesbian newspapers, Window Media LLC, folded. The company oversaw several publications throughout the U.S., including the Washington Blade, which had been in print for over 40 years. The Los Angeles Times stated that despite the distressing news that the company will “liquid[ate] [its] assets” (instead of filing for bankruptcy), some of its former employees are “united,” and are looking to start a new gay publication.

Le Monde reported on Monday that U.S. Federal Chairman Ben Bernanke has voiced his belief that the dollar must remain strong, for the sake of not only the US economy, but for “financial stability worldwide.” Leaders on the European economic front have shown support for Bernanke’s logic: Reuters reported that Jean-Claude Juncker, Eurogroup chairman, is on board with Bernanke, as well as Jean-Claude Trichet, President of the European Central Bank, who stated that his organization is “fully aligned” with Bernanke’s assessment. (See also the AP’s coverage of Bernanke’s address to the Economic Club of New York)

International

Tokyo has officially surpassed Paris in its number of Michelin 3-star restaurants, making it, according to Le Figaro, the new “world gastronomic capital,” and which has perhaps damaged a few Parisian egos. However, according to the Guardian, the fact that there are a total of 160,000 restaurants in Tokyo, as opposed to “Paris’s 40,000,” suggests that Paris is still doing pretty well in terms of total étoiles. The Tokyo edition of the Michelin guide is available this Friday, while the next Paris edition will come out in Spring of 2010.

The New York Times reported on Monday that 12 Afghan civilians were killed by an attack that was apparently targeted at French General Marcel Druart, head of the “Lafayette Task Force in Afghanistan.” General Druart was meeting with “40 Afghan officials” when the rocket struck the market in Tagab.  According to the AFP, while France is the “fourth largest contingent” participating in the war in Afghanistan, its leaders want to “avoid becoming an occupation force,” and apparently will not send more troops to the region.

President Obama completed his three-day trip to China on Wednesday, during which he met with President Hu Jintao to touch on issues such as “trade, climate change [and Iran and North Korea’s] nuclear programs,” according to The New York Times. Although the meetings did not establish any definitive measures for change, nor did the two leaders see eye-to-eye on every issue, the Christian Science Monitor commented that that the two countries’ “interdependence” does require a certain amount of long-term cooperation and dialogue about the major issues at hand.  Overall, according to CNN, Obama’s Asian tour, during which he visited Japan, Singapore, China and South Korea, was a successful attempt at “[laying] the groundwork for success on global and domestic matters.”

French President Nicolas Sarkozy is trying to reinvigorate the Middle East peace process, according to a report in Tuesday’s Le Monde. Mr. Sarkozy stated that it is essential to initiate the peace process between Israel and Palestine as “quickly as possible.” However, his talk last Friday with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad proved that the odds might be stacked against him: according to Voice of America, al-Assad is “not willing” to speak directly to Israel’s Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and would rather utilize “lower level Turkish mediation.” Moreover, French involvement may not ultimately be successful because, according to some experts, the United States is the only country with “any real heavy clout” in Middle East negotiations.